Yu-Gi-Oh: Tokyo Stories
by thisissparta789789
Summary: Ichigo, a 7th-Grader in school, always had faced her troubles head-on as a Mew Mew. But she never expected to face her enemies through games of skill and luck-until she faced one particular enemy. Now, Ichigo, accompanied by a mysterious power within her, recklessly challenges bullies and evildoers to Shadow Games, where the loser faces laser-guided karma through Penalty Games!
1. A Furious Battle

"Hey, Ichigo-chan," a male voice said. "It's your turn." The voice belonged to Joe Hendrickson, the son of an American living in Japan.

Though he had been in Ichigo and Masaya's grade, he had been transferred to their class just recently, though he had known Masaya for several years prior, as he was an avid soccer player, and they both liked sports. Joe also had a liking of Duel Monsters, and had taught Ichigo and Masaya how to play.

Ichigo looked at her hand and played Blackland Fire Dragon. She said, "Alright, it's your turn." "

Alright. I'll sacrifice my set monster for the Curse of Dragon, which will destroy your dragon and reduce your life points to 0."

"What?! That's the 3rd time this week. I need to get better at this game."

Then, Masaya walked up and said, "So, you lost again, I presume?"

Ichigo sighed and said, "Yep. I did. Oh well..."

"Eh, I've lost a lot too, Momomiya-san. Besides, you're new to the game like me."

"Why do you keep calling me 'Momomiya-san?' We're boyfriend-girlfriend. It's fine to call me on a first name basis."

Then, another classmate walked over and said, "Wait, you 3 play Duel Monsters?"

"Wait," Joe said. "You're Jurou, from my soccer team, right?"

"Yes, the one and only."

"You play too? Great, we got a new player!"

"Woah, woah woah," Jurou said. "I'm not new to this game. I am the prefectural champion, and I came in 7th place out of 64 contestants in the National Tournament. As you can see, we're on very different levels."

Joe looked at Jurou in contempt as he said, "So, do you 3 have any good cards?" He then gasped when he looked at a particular card in Joe's hand. "It can't be! That's... that's Gaia the Fierce Knight! Only 12 of those were ever made! How did you get that?"

"This? My brother Ed gave it to me," Joe replied.

Jurou then grabbed his backpack and pulled out a small case of at least 80 cards and said, "If you give me that Gaia, I'll give you these 82 cards." Ichigo and Masaya looked in amazement at such an offer.

"Hehehehehe... No way," Joe replied, to the complete and utter shock of Ichigo and Masaya.

Jurou asked in frustration, "Why won't you trade it to me? I gave you a great offer. There were 3 cards in here that were rarer than Gaia!"

"Simple. This card means a lot to me. Gaia was the first thing Ed pulled from a card pack. After building a powerful deck with Gaia in it, and winning many times, he gave the deck, and Gaia to me 2 years back as he built a newer Machine-based deck. This card means a lot to me, and I could never part with it."

Jurou said, "Fine. I get it. I'll be going to the bathroom now. And by the way, interesting story, and good luck." He then added in his thoughts, _"You're gonna need it."_

* * *

The next day was a weekend, so there was no school. After working at the Cafe, Ichigo was packing up when she had a conversation with Mint. "Hey, ever get the feeling there's some calm before the storm? Like how before a major battle, there's almost no activity?"

"Yeah," Mint replied. "Why?"

"That 'new enemy' Shirogane-san talked about has barely showed itself apart from some Chimera Animas that are possibly just leftover from the fight with the aliens, and that joke of an enemy called 'The Saint Rose Crusaders.' Shirogane-san calls the Chimera Animas left over 'Unexploded Ordinance,' like how landmines left over from wars kill and injure others long after the conflict. Maybe this is that calm. What if Deep Blue returns? What if the Aliens turn on us? What if..."

"Hey girls," Berry then said. "How's it going? I just got back from another successful delivery."

"Me and Mint we're talking about the possibility of something big possibly occurring soon," Ichigo replied. "You remember when your boyfriend Tasuku was brainwashed by those Saint Rose Crusaders?"

"Yeah. They apologised, remember?"

"Yeah, but what if that was just part of a calm before the storm. And by storm, I mean a much more dangerous and deadly enemy."

"Hmm... Seems likely, but at the same time, unlikely. We'll have to wait and see."

Ichigo then felt something start heat up on her shirt. She felt the area where it burnt and held her pendant. She said, "I don't know why, but my pendant's burning up like crazy. I'll go check in with Shirogane-san and see what could be wrong."

* * *

"Yep," Ryou began. "Your pendant's acting weird alright."

Ichigo asked, "What should I do?"

"Keep it," Ryou replied. "But don't do anything that involves stunts that could break this. Also, report to me if anything else happens."

"Well that's unsafe," Ichigo began, but she was interrupted by Zakuro walking in and asking what was going on.

"Oh, hello, Zakuro-san," Ichigo said. "My pendant is acting weird. Just a few minutes ago, it began heating up and now it's cool again."

"Hmm," Zakuro said. "I've never heard anything like that ever happening. I say you should take Shirogane-san's advice, whatever it was. After all, he built it."

* * *

Ichigo, after eating dinner, spent some time trying to figure out just how her pendant worked. She finally was able to pry open the pendant's door and look inside. She found a bunch of wires, circuits, and numerous other things, all very tiny. She then noticed that 1 circuit in particular was glowing red. She thought nothing of it, since many other things in the pendant glowed other colours, and closed up the pendant before going to bed.

She thought to herself, _"Well, today's been an interesting day. I wonder what tomorrow will bring."_

* * *

The next day was a school day. She tiredly walked to school alongside Masaya. As they arrived at the school, they found Joe and Jurou talking to each other, presumably about Duel Monsters.

Jurou said, "I was wondering if I could join you guys in some dueling later on. Joe's okay with the idea."

"Sure," said Ichigo. "I'd be happy if you joined us."

Jurou had been looking through Joe's deck while they were talking. He then thought, _"Aha! Gaia's in this deck. All I have to do is switch it out with a colour copy card I made and Joe won't even notice."_

After sneakily doing so, he handed the deck back to Joe and said, "What a powerful deck you got there."

Joe said, "Thanks." He then walked to his next class.

* * *

After school, Jurou was walking home when he was suddenly stopped by Joe, who said, "Hey, you bastard!"

Jurou turned around and was confronted by Joe, Masaya, and Joe's brother, Edward, or simply Ed. "You took my Gaia the Fierce Knight. I didn't say anything earlier because I didn't want to get suspended. But since school's over now, give me the card, or I'll kick your ass."

"What?" Jurou said. "I would never do such a thing!" He and Joe knew otherwise, of course.

"Cut the bullshit," Ed said. "Joe wouldn't lie about his cards like that."

"You know," Jurou replied. "Have you ever considered what I want, for a change?"

Masaya replied, "The lies coming out of your mouth are incomprehensible. Give Joe's card back now."

"Fine, I took it. But I wouldn't recommend going up in a fight against me, even a 3 vs. 1 fight."

* * *

Ichigo had ran back to the school after receiving an unnerving text from Jurou, reading, "Come over to the school now. I have your boyfriend and his 2 friends with me."

She arrived to find Joe, Masaya, and Ed pummeled and bleeding on the ground. Jurou said, "I'm sorry you had to see this, Ichigo."

Ichigo screamed, "What the hell is wrong with you?! Why did you beat them up?!"

"They refused my demands, so I kicked their asses."

Ichigo growled in anger and said, "Don't you ever hurt my friends!"

"What can you do about it? You're just in my way, nothing but a tiny obstacle."

She then stood in front of her friends and said, "If you want to get to them, you'll have to get through me!"

Jurou replied by kneeing Ichigo in the stomach. She yelled in pain and collapsed. Jurou then said, "But, I guess it's only fair that I give you a chance. Tomorrow, at 6:30 P.M., meet me at the school again, alone, and I'll show you how a true duel works. If you win, Joe keeps his card. But if I win, I'll teach you all the true meaning of pain."

* * *

Ichigo managed to covertly hide the injury she received from her parents. After dinner, she finished her homework and began brushing her teeth when she heard a voice behind her in her bathroom saying, "Hello, koneko-chan."

Ichigo turned around and saw a face she hadn't seen in several months. Kisshu. Kisshu said, "How's it going?"

"Kisshu!" Ichigo exclaimed before she covered her mouth. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you, Pai, and Taruto left to go back to your planet!"

"Yes, we did. But, I returned. You see, my work schedule is a pain in the ass, so I wasn't able to get any vacation hours until now, so, to make a long story short, I'm taking part of my vacation here, on good old Earth."

"Wait, you know where I live?! Well, then again, in hindsight, I'm not surprised, _**but you know where I** **LIVE?!"**  
_

"No duh. If I didn't, how else could I get here? Anyway, how's Masaya-baka?"

Ichigo looked at him in annoyance and said, "That's really getting old. Anyway, we're doing just fine. However, recently, he and 2 of his friends got threatened by some creep named Yamamoto Jurou."

Kisshu looked in slight interest. "Do I need to have a little 'chat' with him, if you know what I mean?"

"NO! I'm taking care of this **myself****.** Me, myself, and I. Not you. Me."

"Well then, you've certainly grown up since I last saw you."

"Grown up? It's been 2 months since Deep Blue's defeat."

* * *

After a long conversation with Kisshu, Ichigo began inspecting her pendant again. To her surprise, the circuits that were glowing red the day before were now glowing bright blue. She wondered what that meant.

* * *

At school, Joe, who had a bandage on his cheek from the fight yesterday, told Ichigo, "You need to be good, because Jurou is a BEAST at this game. How else do you think he became the best in the prefecture? You'll need a LOT of luck to win against him."

"Thing is," Ichigo replied. "I don't know if I can. I hope I do, but the odds I will are probably 1 in a million."

"Don't get so down on yourself. You can win this."

* * *

Ichigo was at her house, once again looking at the inside of her pendant. Now, the circuits glowed bright white. "What the hell is this thing doing?" Ichigo said.

She then put the pendant down and looked at her cards. She sighed and then said, "I have no chance of winning. Why did I ever agree to this?" Then, she picked up her pendant again. Now, the front glowed white as well.

Then, a beam of light shot out of the pendant and hit Ichigo in the forehead. She immediately fell backwards onto the floor. Her body glowed for several seconds afterwards.

When she got up, she looked... different. Her eyes, instead of the usual red, were bright pink, much like they were in her Mew form. She also had grown by 1-2 inches, and had a slightly deeper voice. She said to herself, "Hehehehehe... I know one thing for sure, and that thing is that that creep Jurou's gonna have a tougher time than he thought."

* * *

Jurou said to himself, "Where the hell is she? It's 7 minutes past 6."

Then, he turned around and gasped when he saw Ichigo, or at least what he thought was her, standing on a table outside. She said, "Hello, Jurou-kun. Ready to duel?"

"Well," Jurou replied. "I don't have time for incorrect honorifics, and I don't know what's up with your eyes, but I am ready." He then handed her something. "Put this on. It's my old Duel Disk. If you somehow manage to win, you can keep it. But if **I **win, I will take your friend's card and teach you all the true meaning of pain."

"Ichigo" fumbled around with the duel disk until she got it to turn on. She then placed her deck in. Then, the 2 of them said, "Let's duel!"

_**ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**JUROU: 4000**_

Jurou went first. He summoned the Baron of the Fiend Sword, with 1550 attack. He then activated Allure of Darkness to draw 2 cards and banish 1 DARK monster. The card he banished was "Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness." He said, "I end my turn. Ichigo, if I were you, I'd choose your cards wisely."

"Ichigo" began her turn by summoning Gellenduo, with 1700 attack. She then said, "Attack his Baron, Gellenduo!" The Baron was swiftly destroyed, and Jurou took 150 damage.

_**ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**JUROU: 3850**_

"Ichigo" then set 1 card and ended her turn.

Jurou drew a card to begin his turn and then looked at his hand. He had no monsters that were summonable that had over 1700 attack. He quietly set 1 monster and 2 other cards and then ended his turn.

When it came to "Ichigo's" turn, she summoned Bio-Mage, with 1150 attack. She then activated Axe of Despair and equipped it to Gellenduo, increasing its attack to 2700. Then, Bio-Mage attacked Jurou's set card. It was another Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness, which was quickly destroyed. Then, "Ichigo" shouted, "Attack him directly, Gellenduo!"

But, Jurou had a trick up his sleeve. He said, "Trap Card Activate! Magic Cylinder! This negates your attack and deals you 2700 damage! Take that!"

_**ICHIGO: 1300**_

_**JUROU: 3850**_

"Ichigo" looked in horror at what had happened. 1 more big hit like that to her life points, and she would be finished. She then took another look at her hand and smiled.

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light," Ichigo exclaimed. "Now you can't attack for 3 turns!" Jurou simply shrugged it off as Ichigo then said, "I end my turn."

Jurou then began his turn. He activated Monster Reborn to bring back his Archfiend Marmot. He then sacrificed it to summon the Summoned Skull, with 2500 attack. He then said, "I end my turn. Unless you get rid of that Bio-Mage, I can wipe the floor with you, Ichigo."

"Ichigo" then drew her next card. She then sacrificed her Gellenduo and summoned White Knight Queen. Usually, she would have required 2 monsters to tribute, but Gellenduo's effect stated that it would be treated as 2 tributes to summon a LIGHT Fairy-type monster.

Then, she said, "This is the beginning of your demise." The background surrounding them suddenly became pitch black, with only the field being illuminated. Jurou looked in shock at what was happening. "This duel is now a Shadow Game, Jurou, and whoever loses will face their ultimate doom."

"Well then," Jurou replied. "This is the high-stakes game I've always wanted. Whatever the hell a "Shadow Game" is, I bet it's exciting."

Then, "Ichigo" activated Black Pendant and equipped it to White Knight Queen. Then, she said, "White Knight Queen, attack his Summoned Skull!" The Summoned Skull was then destroyed. "Now, Bio-Mage, attack Jurou directly!"

_**ICHIGO: 1300**_

_**JUROU: 2600**_

"I knew you'd do that," Jurou said. "Trap Card Activate! Call of the Haunted! I bring back the Summoned Skull!"

"Heh," Ichigo replied. "Fine by me. Turn End!"

Jurou then began his turn. He activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Swords of Revealing Light. Then, he activated his Black Pendant and equipped it to Summoned Skull, increasing its attack to 3000. He then had it attack White Knight Queen.

_**ICHIGO: 0800**_

_**JUROU: 2600**_

Jurou ended his turn and said, "Ichigo, prepare to lose, hard."

"Oh," "Ichigo" replied. "I wouldn't be too sure about saying that." She then summoned Agido, with 1600 attack, and activated Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards. She then looked at the cards she had drawn and said, "This is your end, Jurou! Magic Card Activate! Raigeki!"

"What," Jurou screamed. "Impossible!" Then, his Summoned Skull was blown to bits by Raigeki, which destroyed all monsters Jurou controlled.

"Now," "Ichigo" said. "Agido, Bio-Mage, _**attack!"**_The 2 monsters then attacked, dealing 2750 damage to Jurou and ending the game.

_**ICHIGO: 0800 (WINS)**_

_**JUROU: 0000 (LOSES)**_

Jurou said, "It can't be! I shouldn't have lost!"

"Ichigo" then said, "Since you lost, the door to your doom has now been opened."

"Y-your forehead," Jurou said as he pointed at her. "That mark... That mark on your forehead!"

"Ichigo" then pointed at him and shouted, "Penalty Game! Consumption by Darkness!"

Jurou suddenly found himself slowly being consumed by the darkness surrounding him. He saw his legs disappear first, followed by his torso, and finally, his neck. He screamed, "God, help me!"

In reality, it was all in his head. "Ichigo" had put him through such a horrifying illusion to teach him a lesson about messing with her friends and threatening her. She said, "Jurou, while you're consumed by an imaginary darkness, take this time to reflect on your actions. Hopefully, you'll repent. If you don't, I won't be as easy-going as I was this time. Game Over!"

* * *

The next morning, Ichigo woke up in her bed. She said, "Wait, what happened last night? Did I even duel Jurou?"

When she got to school, she was pulled aside by Masaya, who told her, "Hey, Momomiya-san, did you hear? Someone found Jurou curled up in a ball and crying on the ground outside of the school. He kept on rambling about being defeated and getting "consumed by darkness." Well then, I guess he got what he deserved."

"Wow," Ichigo replied. "That's gotta be traumatic."

Then, Joe came along and said, "So, Masaya-kun, did you tell Ichigo-chan about what happened?" Masaya nodded. "Sucks to be Jurou, eh?"

"Yeah," Masaya replied. "Anyway, we gotta get to class! We're almost late!" The 3 of them then began running to their class, as they were almost late. Luckily, they arrived just as the bell rang. "Talk about "Saved by the Bell.""

* * *

_**END OF CHAPTER 1**_


	2. Rules Are Tough

Ichigo wondered what happened to Jurou for several days. She wondered what had become of the challenge Jurou had offered her in regards to dueling him. "Aoyama-kun," Ichigo asked. "Is Jurou gonna be okay?"

"Of course," Masaya replied. "He'll be back on his feet in no time."

Then, the 2 entered their literature classroom. Their literature teacher was a woman by the name of Mihoko Yamana. She was an attractive young woman in her late 20s that had been teaching for the last 6 years. She had a reputation for being strict, and was not above recommending students for expulsion.

* * *

After school, Ms. Yamana went to the teacher's lounge and worked on some papers and grades. She thought, _"Well, I did it. I broke up with him. Dammit, how many people are just gonna fall for my looks? It's so dumb! I hate people of both sexes who do that! Heh, that was the 3rd boyfriend this year, and it's been 9 months into the year of 2003. I guess I can say I enjoy the thrill, but that would make me too cruel. Anyway, what else was I planning? Oh yeah! That new rule I proposed!"_

* * *

"That's ridiculous," said Joe. "She wouldn't dare."

"Yes, she did," Masaya replied. "She actually did."

"Hey guys," Ichigo asked. "What's going on?"

Joe replied, "Yamana-sensei proposed a rule for the district and the school that bans students from holding jobs or they could face expulsion. This affects you greatly."

"WHAT?! No way," Ichigo exclaimed. "I have a job after school. I don't wanna get expelled for holding one!"

"I have an idea," Miwa, a friend of Ichigo's said. "You guys could get a petition going to stop the rule."

* * *

For the next several hours, Joe, Masaya, Ichigo, Miwa, and Moe handed out petition forms to fight the proposed rule change. They managed to collect 95 signatures from both students and staff over the course of the day. They also handed out pamphlets supporting their cause. Another teacher helped print them out and stored them in his room.

After school, Ms. Yamana went to that room and said, "Oh, well this can't do." She then took the pamphlets and the signed petitions and brought them home with her. She then wrote up a false complaint form against Joe and Masaya, accusing them of instigating violence, and then burned the pamphlets and the petitions in her furnace. "Trying to stop that rule change, huh? Think again."

* * *

Joe and Masaya were called to the principal's office as Ichigo, Miwa, and Moe looked frantically for the petitions and pamphlets to no avail. "Well," Joe said. "I got good news and bad news. The good news is that me and Masaya-kun are currently off the hook due to lack of evidence. The bad news is that the principal says he doesn't know where the pamphlets are either."

After school, Ichigo was walking by Ms. Yamana's room when she heard her talking to herself. "Oh ho ho ho ho, this will be fun. With those protestors out of the way, I can enforce that rule."

_"No way," _Ichigo thought. _"I can't believe it. **She **did this. I won't forgive you, Yamana-sensei! You violated our right to peaceful assembly and free speech! We weren't even advocating for violence, yet you silenced your opposition anyways!"_

Ichigo clenched her pendant and fell to her knees in intense pain. "Ichigo" then stood up and walked in, saying, "Yamana-sensei, I see you're the one who took the pamphlets."

"How," Ms. Yamana replied. "**How did you know?!"**

"I overheard you talking to yourself. It was kinda hard not to hear you. Anyway, you have trespassed onto my soul and those of my friends. For that, you're gonna play a game with me. Get out some mirrors."

Ms. Yamana then brought out 2 pocket mirrors she had kept in her bag. "Ichigo" picked them up, pried the mirrors out, and smashed them in front of her and Yamana-sensei.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"The rules are simple. We are to blindfold ourselves and attempt to put the mirror back together in 5 minutes. Whoever loses or is caught cheating will face a Penalty Game."

"Seems simple enough. I accept your challenge."

The 2 of them then blindfolded themselves. "Game Start!"

"Ichigo" started feeling the pieces, feeling for the shapes and sizes of each piece. She then began to assemble them. For the next 3 minutes, the game continued normally.

Then, Ms. Yamana thought, _"She can't even see. I can just take my blindfold off quietly and she won't even notice." _She then took her blindfold off and began assembling the pieces once more.

After another minute, Ms. Yamana said, "Done!"

"No," "Ichigo" replied. "You have to face a Penalty Game, Yamana-sensei."

Then, it dawned on Ms. Yamana that the blindfolds that "Ichigo" had had a small pebble that was barely noticeable on the back. If dropped, it would make a quiet, but noticeable sound. Ms. Yamana had not noticed it, but "Ichigo" had.

"Ichigo" then pointed at Ms. Yamana, still blindfolded, and said, "Penalty Game! Face Puzzle!"

Ms. Yamana's face make-up then began slowly cracking before it completely shattered. She screamed and ran out of the room. "Ichigo" then took the blindfold off and said, "Your self-pride caused you to cheat, and that is why you lost. Now, whenever you try to enforce an unreasonably strict rule, your make-up that you oh so much desire for your face will crack. Game Over!"

* * *

The district board ended up voting against the new rule change, much to the dismay of Ms. Yamana and the happiness of Ichigo. "Finally," she said. "My education isn't in jeopardy because I work."

"Hey," Masaya replied. "Did you hear about Yamana-sensei? She tried busting some students for something and her make-up cracked. No one knows why."

"Huh," Ichigo replied. "I wonder what caused that."


	3. The Poisonous Touch

Ichigo had blacked out twice over the past several days, and she could not figure out why. The first was with Jurou and the second was with that teacher. She wondered if it had something to do with her pendant, which had glowed mysteriously shortly before the Jurou incident.

After school, Joe, Masaya, and Ichigo walked around the city. Joe was trying to find a place someone at school had recommended for buying cards. Joe said, "We should almost be there."

"Umm," Ichigo replied. "Are you sure this place is safe?"

"Totally," Joe replied. "The owner is experienced with weird stuff in this area and can easily defend his shop from what I've heard." Then, they found the place Joe was looking for. "Here it is! Cosmonauts Game and Hobby Store! The owner's an ex-Russian astronaut."

The 3 of them walked in. The shop owner said, in a thick Russian accent, "Come in, come in. Welcome to Cosmonauts Game and Hobby Store. How may I help you?"

The 3 of them looked around and were certainly interested by what they saw. The store sold not just Duel Monsters cards, but also games like Dungeon Dice Monsters, Warhammer 40K, Dungeons and Dragons, Capsule Monsters, among other things.

Ichigo bought a pack of 20 cards and paid 1500 Yen. The shop owner said, "Did you know that Kaiba Seto is hosting a 2nd Battle City Tournament in Tokyo soon? You can sign up for a qualifier here for free. Just show up on Saturday at 3:45. To get in Battle City 2 itself, you have to defeat a judge. And trust me, those judges are _really _tough to beat."

Ichigo signed her name on the sheet. As she did, another patron walked in. He wore sunglasses and had a goatee. He was wearing what seemed to be an expensive pair of shoes. The shop owner said, "It's you..."

"I'm not looking for trouble, Nikolai," the man said. "I'm just here to say that I hope you're ready for some stiff competition. I just opened a new Junky Scorpion in Tokyo. It's my 5th shop."

Ichigo said, "What's the Junky Scorpion?"

"That's another shop," Joe replied. "That man is its owner. He used to have a pet scorpion, but it died after it poisoned him. Now, he's one of the most successful hobby shop owners in Domino City and Tokyo."

"You're damn right, kid," the man replied. "Y'know, the shoes I'm wearing are very valuable. In 1994, a guy was murdered over these shoes in Atlanta, Georgia in the US. I bought them in 1996 for about 100,000 Yen."

"Wow," Ichigo replied. "I can't believe someone would end somebody's life over shoes."

"I agree. That man should spend the rest of his life in jail or get fried. But anyway, Nikolai, I hope you can remain in business long, because I will run you into the ground." He then turned and left the shop.

"I freaking hate that guy," Nikolai said. "He's so damn annoying and egotistical."

"I can see why," Ichigo replied.

* * *

Later, at Cosmonauts, Nikolai was cleaning at table at closing time when he heard a knock at the door. "We're closed, sorry," he replied. Then, the door was broken by a crowbar.

A masked man put his hand through the glass and unlocked the door before opening it. He then said, "Give me all your money or I will beat you to death!" Another 2 then appeared with him.

Nikolai grudgingly complied and forked over 15465 Yen from the cash register and a safe in his office. The robber then left.

* * *

The next day, police question Nikolai about what happened. Afterwards, he was visited again by Ichigo, Joe and Masaya. He said, "Guys, I'm ruined! If I don't get that money back, I won't be able to operate the store! It will close!"

Afterwards, the 3 of them were walking back to their homes. Then, 3 young men came from behind and shouted, "Booyah!"

Masaya was then beaten with screwdrivers and hammers as Joe stumbled back up from the surprise attack. He then grabbed a dropped hammer on the ground and attacked the gang.

After 6 minutes, the gang was all but defeated. Joe said, "Now, tell me why you did this, or I will bust your skulls open, you good-for-nothing pieces of shit." Ichigo was taken aback by his harshness, while Masaya's expression repeated what Joe had said.

"Tha-... That shop owner," the gang leader said. "The guy that runs the Junky Scorpion. He paid us 10000 Yen each to break into Cosmonauts and beat you 3 up."

Joe then threw him down to the ground and said, "Masaya-kun, Ichigo-chan, let's go gonna kick his ass. Split up and find him."

* * *

Ichigo had looked for 16 minutes, but to no avail. She began to lose hope in ever finding the owner and retrieving Nikolai's money. She then thought to herself, _"Whatever your powers are, please help me find that Junky Scorpion owner, pendant. Please."_

Then, "Ichigo" found the new Junky Scorpion shop. She walked in and said, "Hey, you."

"Oh," the owner said. "It's that girl from Cosmonauts. How's it going?"

"I know your secret," "Ichigo" replied sternly. "I know you hired that gang to rob Cosmonauts and attack me and my friends. For that, we'll play a game."

"So, you knew," the owner said. "Well then, I remember a fellow like you who did this to me. He was short, had spiky hair, and ended up poisoning me. If you intent to do that to me..." The owner then reached for a knife in his back pocket. "You're sadly mistaken."

"Heh," "Ichigo" replied. "I won't poison you. I have a different game. All I need is a rope and that knife." The shop owner then grabbed a rope on the ground and gave it to "Ichigo," who then tied it to the knife on one end and tied the other end to a hook on the ceiling, creating a pendulum. She then moved a table over to below the knife. She then looked behind the counter and said, "Oh boy, what do we have here?"

She then found 15465 Yen in a box. It was probably the Yen taken from Cosmonauts. She then split it up by the number of bills, placing 48 bills on one end and 48 bills on the other. She split them up further until, on each side, there were 4 piles of 12 bills. She then said, "The rules of the game are simple. I will start up this knife pendulum on the beginning of each of our turns. The point of the game is to try and grab as much money as you can from one pile per turn without the life striking you."

"Seems simple enough," the shop owner said.

"Okay then. Game Start!"

"Ichigo" then pulled the knife back and then let it go. She then quickly darted her hand across the table and grabbed 9 bills from a pile just before the knife passed through. The shop owner went next. He grabbed all 12 bills from a pile on "Ichigo's" side and narrowly escaped getting cut by the knife.

For the next 4 turns, the 2 of them grabbed as much money as they could. Then, the shop owner asked, "Quick question before you start. As long as we don't touch the pendulum or move from our side, anything goes, right?"

"Ichigo" said, "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well then, this goes too!" He then grabbed a spare knife and attempted to throw it at "Ichigo." It missed, but it did cut off a pigtail piece of her hair. She then said, "You shouldn't have done that." She then picked the knife back up and said, "Prepare to face your fate!"

She then threw it at the shop owner as he darted to grab a crowbar, the same one used in the robbery. It struck him in the shoulder, severely injuring him. "Ichigo" then grabbed all the money on the table and said, "Your greed ended up costing you your reputation, your money, and maybe even your life today, shopkeep. I hope you learn to never mess with my friends, my family, or me ever again. Game Over!"

* * *

Ichigo walked back home, not remembering a thing about what happened. As she got in her room, she got a call from Masaya.

"Hey Ichigo-chan," Masaya said. "You'll never guess what happened. Me and Joe were going over to the Junky Scorpion to confront the shop owner, but he was already taken care of by someone who threw a knife at him. He's alright now, but he was injured pretty badly in the shoulder."

"Ouch," Ichigo replied. "Well, I guess he had it coming, but that seems kind of harsh."

* * *

Before going to bed, Ichigo modified her deck with the new cards she got. She hoped that she would win at the qualifiers on Saturday, which was in 2 days.

She said to herself, "I wonder if Jurou will be there..."


	4. A Cruel Casanova

Lettuce was in an unusually bright mood today. When asked by Ichigo why, she said, "I'm going on a date tonight with this boy I like!"

"Good for you," Ichigo replied. "I hope it goes well. What's the guy's name?"

"Shimada Tatsuya," Lettuce replied.

At the same time, Ryou had been moving a crate full of utensils when he overheard the conversation. He thought, _"I like Lettuce, but I can't figure out how to tell her. Looks like it will be unrequited."_

* * *

After the date, Lettuce and Tatsuya were walking home when they bumped into Ichigo. She said, "Oh, hello, Lettuce-chan." She then turned to Tatsuya. "You must be Shimada-kun."

"Indeed I am," Tatsuya replied. "You must be Lettuce's friend, Momomiya Ichigo."

"You're correct. How was the date?"

"Great," Lettuce said. "After dinner, we saw a good movie. Hey Shimada-kun, we gotta see the sequel to that when it comes out."

"Agreed," Tatsuya replied.

_"He seems like a really nice guy," _Ichigo thought. _"Maybe Lettuce finally found her match."_

* * *

Over the next 2 days, Lettuce and Tatsuya went out every night. It seemed that this relationship may actually last.

Then, a shocking development occurred.

Ichigo was walking home when she saw Tatsuya. She was about to say hi when she gasped.

Tatsuya was walking to somewhere with another girl. Ichigo tried to calm herself down, thinking that it may just be a relative. But then, the 2 kissed, and Ichigo gasped again. She thought, _"That bastard! He manipulated Lettuce's feelings for him! He doesn't like her back at all!"_

* * *

Tatsuya thought, _"I can't believe all these girls just swoon over me. Is it my looks? My athletic ability? Who cares?! Now, about Lettuce..."_

Then, a deep female voice said, "So, you didn't even like Lettuce in the first place..."

Tatsuya turned around and saw "Ichigo." He then said, "Ichigo... How long were you standing there?"

"I saw you with that girl."

"Well, you got me. Burt what are you gonna do about it?"

"Ichigo" then pulled out 2 non-see-through bottles of water from her backpack. She then said, "This will be a game of wits. In one bottle is water. In the other bottle is water as well. However, one of these bottles also has an object in them. We cannot shake the bottles, as doing such will break the rules and the object."

"This is stupid. But, I guess I can't have someone like you spread around my secret. I accept."

The 2 spent several minutes staring at each other and the bottles as Tatsuya tried to figure out which bottle had the object.

Tatsuya then said, "I get it! The bottle with the object is the one I have! Whoever gets that object wins! Looks like you doomed yourself, Ichigo!" He then drank his bottle. However, he then began choking on the object.

"No," "Ichigo" replied. "Whoever has the object loses, because the loser chokes." She then poured out her bottle. "Both had objects on them. Both objects were legos. It was only a matter of time before you cracked and drank the water. Game Over!"

Tatsuya eventually ran to get help, but was able to spit the lego out before he could. However, he then noticed blood on the lego and then called 119 for an ambulance. As it turns out, he had cut up his throat pretty badly.

* * *

By tomorrow, everyone had known that Tatsuya was a casanova, and a cruel one at that.

At Ichigo's house, Lettuce was crying into Ichigo's shoulder. She said, "I can't believe he did that!"

"Don't worry," Ichigo said. "You'll be fine. You have your friends, after all. You're not alone. Besides, there are others out there 100 times better than that boy."

"I guess you're right," Lettuce replied. "There are others out there."

* * *

The day after tomorrow, Ichigo got ready to go to Cosmonauts for the tournament qualifiers. As she did, Ryou walked up to Lettuce. He said, "Can I talk to you for a minute... Alone..."

"Okay then, Shirogane-san," Lettuce replied.

"Listen," Ryou said, "Over the past several months, I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"Lettuce... I... I think I like you..."

Lettuce blushed. She then hugged Ryou and said, "I... I guess I do too... But... I don't know if I'm ready after what happened with Tatsuya... I don't want to be abandoned anymore..."

"Abandoned?! I would never do that to you! I don't think I like you. I know I love you."

"Love? You... Love me?! Why... Why would you?"

"Because you're a sweet girl. And I think you're the most beautiful human being in the world."

Lettuce began crying again, but this time, they were tears of joy. "I love you too..."

The 2 then kissed passionately. Ryou then said, "Alright... I got that off my chest, thank God."

Then, Pudding came in and said, "Hey, Shirogane-san, Lettuce-oneechan, what are you-? Wait... Are you 2 in love?!"

Lettuce said, "Pudding-chan, promise me you won't tell anyone about me and Shirogane-san yet. We will tell the rest of the gang ourselves."

Pudding said, "Of course I can promise you that. My lips are sealed, na no da!"

"By the way, Ryou said. "Just call me Ryou from now on."

* * *

Ichigo arrived at Cosmonauts with Joe, Mint, and Zakuro, who was disguised and had decided to tag along and sign up because of boredom, at 11:32. When they walked in, they were met by 18 others. Nikolai then said, "Alright, if you have not signed up already, sign up at the front desk. We will be leaving to go to the arena at 11:50."

Zakuro and Mint both walked up and signed up. They paid the entry fee and also bought duel disks. As it turns out, Zakuro had played the game before. One of her bodyguards had introduced it to her a few months back. She put an alias in as her name. Mint had started playing shortly after Deep Blue's defeat after reading about how a man had sold his entire house for 5 rare cards.

She walked back and said, "So... How do you think I will do, Ichigo-chan?"

"Zakuro-san," Ichigo said. "You'll be fine at it. Give it your best shot, and don't give up."

"Alright." She then ripped open the box and put on her duel disk. She said, "Feels weird, but I kinda like it."

At 11:50, the group of 28 then began walking to the arena, which was 5 blocks down. Ichigo thought, _"We can do this. We will succeed. We will win!" _


	5. Here We Go -The Qualifiers, Part 1-

After arriving at the stadium, the 4 of them were ushered into the main stage area. There, an announcer said, "Alright, you are all to face off against a judge. If you can beat the judge, you will proceed to the tournament, and you will win 2 powerful cards. There are 28 arenas set up in the playing field of the stadium for your duels. I will now read off where each duelist will proceed to..."

Ichigo would go to Arena 9, Zakuro would go to Arena 11, Joe would go to Arena 13, and Mint would go to Arena 20. Ichigo said to the group, "Good luck, all of you."

She then proceeded to her arena. There, she noticed a man draped in a hood. His face could not be seen. He said, "Due to some issues, our duel will be taking place elsewhere. Come with me."

"Okay," Ichigo said, confused. The 2 of them then walked into a secluded room that had its own arena set up inside of it. "Wait," Ichigo said. "Who's that guy?"

"Hello, Momomiya Ichigo," said a man. "I am Kaiba Seto. I will be observing your duel personally."

Ichigo said, "Say what?! No way!"

"You better believe it," said the hooded man, who then ripped the hood off. Ichigo gasped. The judge was Jurou! "Ichigo, I've been waiting for this day for a very long time. Now that I have you, I will crush you like you did to my dreams and my sanity!"

"Oh no," said Ichigo. "This isn't good."

"Jurou," asked Kaiba. "What happened?"

"This girl," Jurou said. "This low-level player, defeated **me, **the prefectural champion of Tokyo, and the 7th best player in Japan! Not only that, she put me through some odd hallucination that left me broken."

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Ichigo replied. "I know I defeated you, but what do you mean hallucination?! Either way, you deserved it! You stole my friend's Gaia the Fierce Knight and then beat him, his brother, and my boyfriend up when they confronted you."

Kaiba thought to himself, _"Usually I'd tell them to shut up and duel by now, but what does Jurou mean by hallucination?"_

"Before we begin," Jurou said. "Allow me to ask this. Are you, or have you ever been, affiliated with a group known as Tokyo Mew Mew?"

Ichigo thought, _"Dammit! He found out!" _She said, "Tokyo Mew Mew? I've heard of them, but no."

"I notice you bear an uncanny resemblance to Mew Ichigo. Stop lying to me, Momomiya Ichigo."

"Fine! I'll tell the truth." She then pulled her pendant out. She said quietly under her breath, "I'm sorry, everyone." She then kissed it and shouted, "Mew Mew Strawberry! Metamorphosis!"

Kaiba looked in shock at her transformation, while Jurou said, "Just as I thought."

Ichigo, now transformed, said, "Fine, you got me. Happy?"

"One final thing, Mew Ichigo. Before we begin, I'd like to introduce a special guest." Jurou then walked over to a closet and pulled out an unconscious body. "Say hello to Aoyama-kun!"

Ichigo screamed, **_"Aoyama-kun!"_**She then ran over and saw how bad the injuries were. He had been knocked out by repeated blows to the head and he probably broke his nose. She began to cry over his body.

Jurou said, "Now that I have your attention, allow me to say one final thing, this time for real. Only the winner will be walking away alive from this duel. If you lose, Masaya will die, and so will you."

Ichigo then got up, wiped the tears off of her face, and growled, "I'll never forgive you, Jurou. Ever." Her pendant then glowed again. Ichigo clutched her chest in pain and fell to her knees. When she got up, the old Ichigo was gone, and the "other" Ichigo had taken her place. She said, "Jurou, you have trespassed onto my soul, the souls of my friends and family, and the soul of my boyfriend. For that, the Shadow Games will determine your fate."

Kaiba gasped, "Shadow Games?!" He thought, _"I haven't heard that phrase since 1998! Just who is this girl?!"_

"See," Jurou said to Kaiba. "That's the Ichigo I dueled. That's the Ichigo that broke me. And that will be the Ichigo I kill."

Then, both of them shouted, "Let's duel!"

_**ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**JUROU: 4000**_

Jurou went first. He summoned Lancer Archfiend with 1600 ATK. "Magic Card Activate! Archfiend Palabyrinth! With this Field Magic Card, all Fiend-Types I control gain 500 attack!" Lancer Archfiend's attack went up to 2100 ATK.

"No matter," "Ichigo" replied. "I summon Bio-Mage, with 1150 attack! Next, I'll activate Axe of Despair, to boost its attack to 2150! Now, attack his Lancer Archfiend, Bio-Mage!"

Jurou's monster was easily destroyed. He said, "That didn't hurt a bit." "Ichigo" then set a card and ended her turn.

_**ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**JUROU: 3950**_

Jurou then summoned Trance Archfiend, with 1500 original ATK, but now 2000 ATK due to Archfiend Palabyrinth. He then discarded another Fiend-Type monster from his hand to boost Trance Archfiend's attack to 2500. "Attack her Bio-Mage!" The Bio-Mage was then crushed by the Trance Archfiend.

"Ichigo" then said, "Trap Card Activate! Damage Vaccine Ω MAX! I automatically gain back the damage I took, so my life points will remain the same for now!"

Jurou said, "Damn you. You got me there. But mark my words, I will win!"

_**ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**JUROU: 3950**_

"Ichigo" thought, _"I have 4 cards in my hand. 2 monsters, 1 magic, and 1 trap. If I can set Secret Barrel from my hand to the field and then use it on Jurou, I can easily take out at least a good 1000 life points. But, what if he has something to negate it, or even redirect it to me? Hmm... You know what, screw it, I'll do just that when it comes to my turn. Get ready, Jurou, because I'm gonna deliver a major ass kicking very soon."_


	6. I Will Win! -The Qualifiers, Part 2-

Now it was "Ichigo's" turn. She set the Secret Barrel in her hand and then summoned Constellar Algiedi with 1600 ATK, allowing her to also Special Summon Constellar Sombre, which had 1550 ATK. _"I knew it was a good idea to add some of those Constellar monsters to my deck," _she thought. She then activated Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards before also activating Guarded Treasure. This made her discard all 5 of her cards to the graveyard and draw 2. She would also now draw 2 cards per draw phase instead of 1.

Jurou said, "You're beyond stupid, Ichigo. Why would you discard your entire hand?"

"You'll find out why right now," "Ichigo" replied. She then said, "Magic Card Activate! Monster Reborn! I revive Constellar Zubeneschamali with 2100 attack from my graveyard, allowing me to add another Constellar monster from my deck to my hand. And I choose Constellar Acubens! Now, I end my turn."

Jurou said, "That's it? You're not gonna attack? You're pathetic!" He then drew his card and began his turn.

Then, "Ichigo" announced, "Trap Card Activate! Secret Barrel! You take 200 for every card you control and in your hand, resulting in a grand total of 1400 damage!"

_**ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**JUROU: 2550**_

Jurou winced in pain. He replied, "No matter. I sacrifice my monster to summon Archfiend Giant, with 2400 attack plus 500 from Archfiend Palabyrinth, making its attack 2900! Now, attack her Algiedi!" Constellar Algiedi was then slashed in 3 places by Archfiend Giant's claws.

_**ICHIGO: 2700**_

_**JUROU: 2550**_

"I end my turn," Jurou said. He then set a card.

"Ichigo" drew 2 cards as part of Guarded Treasure's effect. She then said, "I sacrifice Constellar Sombre to summon Constellar Virgo, with 2300 attack! Next, I equip it with Black Pendant, boosting its attack to 2800! Then, I activate Double Summon to also normal summon Constellar Acubens. As per its effect, all Constellar monsters on my side of the field gain 500 attack, bringing up Virgo to 3300! Now, attack his Giant!"

_**ICHIGO: 2700**_

_**JUROU: 2150**_

Now," "Ichigo" continued. "Attack him directly!"

"Not so fast," Jurou said. "Trap Card Activate! Changing Destiny! Now you must leave your Virgo in defence position for the rest of the duel, Ichigo! Also, you must choose 1 of 2 effects afterwards. Effect 1: You take damage equal to half of Algiedi's attack. Effect 2: I gain life points equal to half of Algiedi's attack."

"Ichigo" thought for several seconds before shouting out, "I'll take the 800!"

_**ICHIGO: 1900**_

_**JUROU: 2150**_

"Ichigo" coughed up a large amount of blood after getting hit by the damage. Kaiba looked in horror. "Ichigo" said, "The side-effect of a Shadow Game is that the possessor of the item responsible will get injured in conjunction with the damage they take in Duel Monsters. Once I dip below 2000, I start to cough up blood. If I lose, my own game will kill myself." She then ended her turn.

Jurou began his turn and said, "Looks like I will win!" He then summoned Vorse Raider with 1900 and destroyed Algiedi. "Ichigo" took no damage because Algiedi was in defence position.

"Ichigo" then began her turn and activated Premature Burial. By paying 800 more life points, she coughed up more blood.

_**ICHIGO: 1100**_

_**JUROU: 2150**_

She then revived Algiedi. "This is your end, Jurou," said "Ichigo." "Now that Algiedi's back, I can attack you directly once I take care of that Vorse Raider. Now, Constellar Virgo, **attack!"**

Virgo shot a beam of light at Vorse Raider, destroying it. "Next," she continued. "Constellar Algiedi, _**ATTACK JUROU DIRECTLY AND END THIS SHADOW GAME!"**__**  
**_

_**ICHIGO: 1100 (WINS)**_

_**JUROU: 0000 (LOSES)**_

Jurou stood in shock at his defeat. He said, "No... No way... I lost... How..."

Kaiba said, "I declare that the winner of this duel is Momomiya Ichigo!"

Then, Mew Ichigo's mew mark glowed and appeared on "Ichigo's" forehead as she said, "Jurou, only the winner of a Shadow Game walks away unscathed! The loser faces a punishment! It's time for you to atone for your actions!"

Jurou screamed, "No! Stop! Wait! I-"

"Ichigo" then stuck her right palm out in front of her as she shouted, _**"MIND CRUSH!"**_

The sound of shattering glass spread through the arena as Jurou screamed and was thrown by the force of the penalty game onto the floor. Kaiba looked in amazement, saying, "That's... That's what I went through!"

"There, Jurou," said "Ichigo." "Maybe now you will be begin to see the error of your ways." Jurou was left in a coma as a result of "Ichigo's" actions.

Kaiba ran to Ichigo as she suddenly transformed back into her regular self. She said, "What happened? Did I win?"

"Wait," said Kaiba. "You remember nothing?"

"Nope."

"Well then, I must inform you I guess. You did win. And you kind of left Jurou in a coma."

"In a coma?! How?"

"You will find out soon. Anyway, the judges who will be dueling today will also be in the tournament, so don't be surprised to see Jurou if he wakes up in time for the tournament."

* * *

Around the same time Ichigo and Jurou's duel had begun, Zakuro was just about to start her duel against "Bandit" Keith Howard, the former USA champion. Keith said, "I had no idea a fashion model like you played Duel Monsters. Let's just see how you stack up against my machines."

"Trust me," said Zakuro. "I will win, Keith." She noticed a large crowd had gathered around her to watch. She chuckled and thought, _"If I lose, this will be embarrassing beyond belief. More importantly, though, I must win so I can protect Mint and fight alongside Ichigo."_

Keith went first. He summoned Mechanicalchaser with 1850 ATK. He then activated Machine Conversion Factory to boost Mechanicalchaser's attack to 2150. He then ended his turn.

Zakuro then went. Using a barely-modified FIRE starter deck, she summoned Raging Flame Sprite with 100 ATK. Keith laughed at it. Zakuro said, "Keith, this card is not as weak as you think it is. When this card successfully attacks you directly and inflicts battle damage, it will gain 1000 attack." Raging Flame Sprite then attacked.

_**ZAKURO: 4000**_

_**KEITH: 3900**_

Just like Zakuro said, Raging Flame Sprite's attack climbed to 1100. She then activated Molten Destruction, which made all FIRE monsters gain 500 ATK and lose 400 DEF, making Raging Flame Sprite's attack 1600. Then, she activated Level Limit Area B, which made all level 4 or higher monsters switch to defence position. She then set 1 card and ended her turn.

Keith thought, _"Shit! This girl's certainly not too bad. But I have a plan..."_


	7. Keith's Plan -The Qualifiers, Part 3-

"Bandit" Keith Howard began his turn by setting 1 monster. He then set 2 other cards and ended his turn. He thought, _"If she falls for this, it will be her downfall."_

Zakuro began her turn by summoning Ultimate Baseball Kid to the field with 500 ATK. "Nice card you got there," said Keith. "Too bad it has to be destroyed. Trap Card Activate! Trap Hole!"

Zakuro said, "Oh no!" Great Angus was then destroyed by Trap Hole's effect. "But... I can still decimate your life points with Raging Flame Sprite! Attack!"

"Not so fast," said Keith. "Trap Card Activate! Invisible Wire! Because your monster has less than 2000 attack, I can destroy it with this card and stop your attack!"

Zakuro sighed. She thought, _"Maybe I could use some other cards in my hand." _She then activated Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards. Then, she said, "Magic Card Activate! Premature Burial! I'll bring back Raging Flame Sprite and then attack you!"

_**ZAKURO: 3200**_

_**KEITH: 3300**_

Zakuro then said, "I end my turn!" Raging Flame Sprite's attack climbed to 1600, up from 100 plus 500 from Molten Destruction.

Keith set another monster and then activated Change of Heart to gain control of Raging Flame Sprite. "Now," he said. "Attack her directly!"

_**ZAKURO: 1600**_

_**KEITH: 3300**_

Zakuro said, "You bastard!"

"Face it, Zakuro," said Keith. "The world of Duel Monsters isn't right for someone like you. I suggest you give up now and save yourself from embarrassment." He then laughed.

"Shut up," said Zakuro. "I will win and prove you wrong! Just watch me, Keith Howard!"

Zakuro began by activating Nobleman of Crossout, which destroyed Keith's face-down monster, which was an Oni Tank T-34. Then, she activated Meteor of Destruction to inflict 1000 points of damage upon Keith.

_**ZAKURO: 1600**_

_**KEITH: 2300**_

Then, she sacrificed her Raging Flame Sprite to set a monster card. She then set 1 card and ended her turn.

Keith thought, _"What the hell is she thinking?! She could have ended the game for me if she had attacked with Raging Flame Sprite. What is she planning?"_

Keith activated Mystical Space Typhoon and destroyed Level Limit Area B. He then set a monster and changed Mechanicalchaser to attack, which still had 2150 ATK, and attacked Zakuro's face-down card. The card was Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. It was easily destroyed.

Zakuro said, "Not so fast, Keith! Trap Card Activate! Call of the Haunted! I bring back Thestalos in face-up Attack Position!"

Keith then ended his turn. He said, "You're hard to kill, I'll give you that much. But I will defeat you!"

Zakuro shrugged and said, "I agree with the first part. But I wouldn't be too sure about that second part, Keith." She then removed Raging Flame Sprite from play to special summon Inferno with 1100 ATK plus 500. "Whenever Inferno destroys a monster, you take 1500 damage! Thestalos, attack Mechanicalchaser!"

_**ZAKURO: 1600**_

_**KEITH: 1650**_

"Next," Zakuro continued. "Inferno, attack his set monster!" The monster turned out to be Ryu-Kishin.

_**ZAKURO: 1600**_

**_KEITH: 0150_**

"I end my turn," Zakuro said. "Good luck."

"Oh, trust me," Keith said. "I have luck." He then activated Zera Ritual and sent 2 monsters to his graveyard to ritual summon Zera the Mant, with 2800 ATK. It then attacked and destroyed Inferno.

_**ZAKURO: 0400**_

_**KEITH: 0150**_

Zakuro said, "No way!"

Keith said, "Who's the lucky one now?"

Zakuro began her turn by summoning Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective. Then, she tributed Thestalos to increase Gaia's attack to 3000. "Now," she said. "Gaia Soul, attack Zera the Mant with 3500 attack!"

_**ZAKURO: 0400 (WINS)**_

_**KEITH: 0000 (LOSES)**_

Zakuro said, "I win, Keith. Looks like I do belong in the world of Duel Monsters. I hope I get to face you again in the Tournament."

Keith said, "Ugh... You got me this time, Fujiwara Zakuro, but next time, I will win!"

"We'll just see about that, "Bandit" Keith Howard of America."

Another judge came over and said, "Here's your prize, the Infernal Flame Emperor."

"Woah," said Zakuro. "It's amazing! Thank you."

* * *

After their duels, Ichigo and Zakuro met up. Zakuro said, "How did you do, Ichigo-chan?"

"I won," said Ichigo. "How did you do?"

"I won as well. Looks like the 2 of us are going to the tournament."

Ichigo cheered in excitement and hugged Zakuro. She laughed and said, "Let's go see Mint's duel."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Let's go!"

* * *

Mint's duel was just about to begin. She would face off against Mokuba Kaiba, Seto Kaiba's brother. By now, he was 18 and had become a rather talented duelist. He said, "Alright, I want this to be a fair and clean duel. No cheating, no harassment, no screwing around, you got that?"

"I sure do," said Mint. "You're Kaiba's brother, right?"

"Yes I am. I'm Kaiba Mokuba, brother of the CEO of the Kaiba Corporation."

"Nice to meet you. Now..."

The 2 of them then said, "Let's duel!"

Zakuro and Ichigo ran up and saw the 2 of them. Zakuro said, "Mint, remember that we're with you all the way!"

Mint looked back and smiled. She said, "I know guys. Wish me luck."


	8. Mokuba Kaiba -The Qualifiers, Part 4-

Mokuba went first. He activated Red Medicine to boost his life points by 500.

**_MOKUBA: 4500_**

**_MINT: 4000_**

Then, he set 1 monster and ended his turn.

Mint said, "Hmmm... What are you planning?"

"Just wait and see," Mokuba replied.

Mint then summoned Battlestorm, a Winged Beast with 1700 ATK. She then activated Double Summon to also summon Hunter Owl, with 1000 ATK. Battlestorm's attack rose to 1800, and Hunter Owl's rose to 1500. She then said, "Battlestorm, attack his face-down!"

Mokuba's face-down monster turned out to be Des Koala. Because it had 1800 DEF, neither monster was destroyed. Then, Mokuba said, "Now, its effect activates! Since you have 4 cards in your hand, you lose 1600 life points!"

_**MOKUBA: 4500**_

_**MINT: 2400**_

Mint thought, _"Dammit! He got me there! I freaking hate flip effects."_ She then set 1 card and ended her turn.

Mokuba then went. He summoned Copycat, allowing him to 'copy' the original ATK and DEF of 1 monster Mint controlled. "And the monster I choose," Mokuba said. "Will be Battlestrom! Now, Copycat, attack her Hunter Owl with 1700 attack!"

_**MOKUBA: 4500**_

_**MINT: 2200**_

He then activated Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards, set both of them, and ended his turn.

Mint began her turn by activating Monster Reborn to bring back Hunter Owl. She then summoned a second Battlestorm. Both Battlestorms now had 1900 ATK, and the Hunter Owl now possessed 2000 ATK. "Now," Mint said. "Hunter Owl, attack the Des Koala!"

_**MOKUBA: 3600**_

_**MINT: 2200**_

Then, Mokuba said, "Reverse Card Open! Scapegoat! I now get to Special Summon 4 Sheep Tokens to my side of the field in Defence Position!"

Mint then said, "Battlestorm 1, attack his Copycat, Battlestorm 2, destroy a token!"

**_MOKUBA: 3500_**

**_MINT: 2200_**

Then, Mokuba said again, "Reverse Card Open! Token Feastevil! You take 1200, and all of my tokens are destroyed!"

_**MOKUBA: 3500**_

_**MINT: 1000**_

Mint ended her turn by setting a card, thinking, _"I refuse to lose here! I will win, Mokuba, because my friends depend on me to be there for them at the tournament!"_

Mokuba activated Ancient Rules to Special Summon Big Koala, with 2700 ATK, and then said, "Looks like this is the end of the line for this durl, Mint. Attack her 1st Battlestorm!"

"Not so fast," said Mint. "Reverse Card Open! Magic Cylinder! The attack is negated, and you take 2700!"

**_MOKUBA: 0800_**

**_MINT: 1000_**

Mokuba said, "No way..."

Now it was Mint's turn. She said, "It gets better. Magic Card Activate! Lightning Vortex! Your Big Koala is now dead!"

Mokuba replied, "Oh no! I'm gonna-!"

Mint then sacrificed her 1st Battlestorm to summon Raiza the Storm Monarch, with 2400 ATK. As part of its effect, she put her 2nd Battlestorm on the top of her deck. Then, she said, "Raiza, attack Mokuba directly and finish this duel!"

_**MOKUBA: 0000 (LOSES)**_

_**MINT: 1000 (WINS)**_

Mokuba said, "Amazing! Mint, you're a great duelist! I hope to see you again on the tournament."

"I do too," replied Mint. "Good game." The 2 then shook hands.

Ichigo then ran out and said, "You did it, Mint-chan!"

Mint was then hugged by Ichigo and said, "Awww, thanks, guys. I couldn't have done it without knowing that you 2 were by my side every step of the way, or every turn of the duel in this case."

Zakuro said, "Mint-chan, you are really growing up to be a mature young lady. I'm proud of you." She then hugged her, causing Mint to blush.

Mint replied, "Thank you, Oneesama."

Ichigo then said, "We gotta go see Joe's duel!"

"Oh yeah," said Mint. "Let's go!"

* * *

In another part of the arena, a player had just beaten a judge easily. He had a deck focused on gaining as much life points as possible to avoid drastic reductions. His face was shrouded in a cloak, and he barely spoke. Many duelists wondered who he was.

As he walked into a bathroom, he took off his cloak and said to himself, "Unbeknownst to these foolish humans, I possess the 3 Sacred Beasts... I had not used them in the last duel because I did not wish to reveal my ambitions."

Then, another man walked into the bathroom and said, "Woah! Dude, what's up with your ears? I mean, I'm just wondering, that's all. And your skin... It's so pale! Who are you?"

The unknown man then looked at him and asked, "Did you win or lose?"

"I lost," replied the other man. "I know. It sucks. But hey, I had a lotta fun."

Then, the unknown man grabbed his neck and held him up in the air. He said, "If you must know who I am, I will tell you before I end your pathetic life. I am a Cyniclon, a race that used to live on Earth before we were driven out by natural disasters. We were forced to relocate to a hellhole of a planet as a result. When we sent spies to see how our home planet was doing, we were appalled that you filthy humans were treating it like your dump. Little did my people know that I also had plans to conquer not only Earth and wipe out your pathetic species, but also take control of the entire known universe. Unfortunately, I was stopped by 5 teenagers and 2 mad scientists before I could initiate my plan."

The man struggled to say, "What?"

"But now, I'm back. My new plan involves me taking over the Kaiba Corporation and using its funds to build an army to fulfill my plan of universal conquest. And I will not let **anyone **stop me." He then dropped the other man from his grip. By now, he was dead. "My name is Deep Blue, and I am here to wipe out humanity."


	9. Triumph -The Qualifiers, Part 5-

Joe would face off against a duelist from Okinawa named Ayama Yano. She was 15 years old and was the Okinawan champion. She said, "I see you're an American. What brings you here to Tokyo?"

"I live here," replied Joe. "My dad moved here before I was born. My mom's grandfather was stationed on a US military base near Tokyo."

"Interesting," replied Ayame. "A few of my friends are Americans whose parents live on bases in Okinawa, like MCAS Futenma and Kadena Air Force Base. What deck do you run, anyhow?"

"I focus on getting fusion monsters I have in my Extra Deck out. What do you run?"

"I run a Ritual Monster deck. It's a pretty rare type of deck, considering Ritual Monsters get ignored by everyone."

"Alrighty then," Joe said. "Let's begin!"

_**JOE: 4000**_

_**AYAME: 4000**_

Ayame went first. She said, "Magic Card Activate! Doriado's Blessing! This card allows me to ritual summon the Elemental Mistress Doriado by sacrificing monsters equal or above level 3 from my hand or field." After getting rid of a 4-star monster, she said, "Come forth, Doriado!"

Doriado had 1200 ATK and 1400 DEF. As part of its effect, it was also treated as a WIND, WATER, EARTH, and FIRE monster while on the field, alongside its original LIGHT attribute. Ayame then set 1 card and ended her turn.

Joe then began his turn. He summoned Alligator's Sword with 1500 ATK. He then said, "Alligator's Sword, attack Doriado!"

_**JOE: 4000**_

_**AYAME: 3700**_

Then, Ayame said, "Reverse Card Open! Call of the Haunted! I'll bring back Doriado to my side of the field!"

Joe said, "Damn it!" He then ended his turn.

As Ayame went next, Ichigo, Mint, and Zakuro arrived to watch Joe's duel. Ichigo shouted, "Keep up the good work, Joe!"

Ayame said, "I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands with 1400 attack! Due to its effect, I get to add 1 Ritual Monster or 1 Ritual Magic Card to my hand from my deck." She then searched through her deck and picked a card. "I choose the Ritual Magic Card 'Ritual of Grace' to my hand." She then placed said card onto the field. "Magic Card Activate! I'll sacrifice my Doriado, my Manju, and a monster from my hand to the graveyard to ritual summon Divine Grace-Northwemko, with 2700 attack! As part of its effect, I'll select Alligator's Sword, though the effect will be useless very soon. Now, attack his Alligator's Sword!"

_**JOE: 2800**_

_**AYAME: 3700**_

Joe said, "You're too strong! How did you get that card?!"

"Hard work," replied Ayame. "Nothing but determination and hard work."

A voice in the crowd said, "That's her strongest card!"

Another replied, "That other kid is screwed. She's totally gonna win."

As the next 5 turns passed by, Joe set monster after monster, only to have those monsters destroyed by Northwemko.

On the 6th turn after Northwemko's summoning, Joe drew the card he needed. He said, "Magic Card Activate! Polymerization! I'll send Gaia the Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon to the graveyard to fusion summon Gaia the Dragon Champion, with 2600 attack! Then, I activate Black Pendant and equip it to Gaia to boost its attack to 3100! Now, attack Grace!"

_**JOE: 2800**_

_**AYAME: 3300**_

Ichigo said, "Alright! You did it!"

Mint said, "Go Joe!"

As Joe set a card, Ayame said, "You got lucky. Now it's my turn. Magic Card Activate! Premature Burial! I'll pay 800 life points to bring back Grace in attack position! Next, I'll equip her with Axe of Despair to boost her attack to 3700! Now, Grace, attack Gaia!"

_**JOE: 2800**_

_**AYAME: 2500**_

"You fell for it," Joe said. "Reverse Card Open! Dimension Wall! Now the damage I take becomes 0, and you take the damage I would have taken!"

_**JOE: 2800**_

_**AYAME: 1700**_

"Now it's my turn," Joe continued. "I activate Lightning Vortex to destroy your monster!" Grace then was blasted to bits by a bolt of lightning as Ayame watched in fear. "Now, Gaia, attack her directly!"

_**JOE: 2800 (WINS)**_

_**AYAME: 0000 (LOSES)**_

Ayame said, "No way... I lost!"

Ichigo said, "Joe! You did it! You won!"

Joe said, "Good game." He then extended his hand to Ayame.

Ayame initially paused, but she then shook his hand and said, "Good game indeed. I'll be seeing you in Battle City."

* * *

Later that day, Ichigo told her parents all about the duels. They congratulated her on her wins.

At night, Ichigo looked at her pendant and said, "What's the deal with my pendant? Why did Kaiba mention another me? Whatever it is, I'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Deep Blue was walking through the streets of the city at night. He congratulated himself on his own triumph at the qualifiers. As he was walking, he got a phone call. "Hello?"

"Hello, Deep Blue," a voice said on the other end. "I just received Ra and the 2 items. Thanks for getting the Ghouls to grab those God Cards and the Millennium Items from the ruins of the Pharaoh's tomb. I'll make sure I raise hell with them. But first, I need to take care of my light self in Egypt."

"Excellent work," said Deep Blue in reply. "Yami Malik."


	10. The First Sign

The day after the qualifiers, Ichigo was going through the mail in her family's mailbox when she found a suspicious letter. She said, "Huh... This looks funny..."

When she opened it, she picked up the letter inside and read it out loud. At the time, her parents were at work.

_Momomiya Ichigo_

_This is only the beginning of your planet's demise._

_All I can say is that you should begin cherishing the last remaining bit of time before humanity's demise at my hands._

_Speaking of my hands, remember that I lead an organisation that has its claws sunk deep into every corner of your planet._

_Be ready._

_Deep Blue_

Ichigo trembled in fear as she reached for her phone and dialed Masaya's number, half-expecting Deep Blue to have taken over his body. She breathed a sigh of relief when he simply answered, "Hello Ichigo! How's your day?"

"Aoyama-kun, Deep Blue is back. He sent me a letter. Did you get a weird letter in the mail?"

"As a matter of fact, I did, but I didn't open it yet."

"You probably should. I'll run over to your house and show you mine."

* * *

She arrived in 10 minutes and quietly knocked on the door. Masaya opened up the door and said, "Come on in, Momomiya-san."

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief, now knowing that it was definitely not Deep Blue. She said, "I was worried because for a second I thought Deep Blue took your body again or something."

Masaya laughed and said, "There's no way in hell he's gonna take over my mind anytime soon. Anyway, where's the letter?"

"Right here." Ichigo then handed him the letter. "He told us to 'be ready.' I wonder what his plan is exactly. And what organisation does he lead that has its 'claws sunk into every corner of the glove?' I hope he doesn't send any more of these cryptic messages."

"No matter what happens, I will make sure you don't get hurt. I know you're pretty awesome in fighting on your own, but if you need help, I'll be there."

Ichigo smiled and thought, _"He's so brave. I wonder what's going on in his mind." _She then said, "Thank you, Aoyama-kun. By the way, shouldn't we open your letter now?"

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" He then got the envelope and opened it up. He then unfolded a piece of paper that had the letter on it. It read:

_Aoyama Masaya_

_I will particularly enjoy taking you out._

_Nothing you do will be able to stop me, worthless host._

_I recommend that you spend quality time with your girlfriend and your friends and family so you can say your goodbyes._

_Be ready._

_Deep Blue_

Masaya then crumpled up the letter and threw it in a trashbin before he said, "I don't mean to swear around you, but fuck him."

Ichigo laughed and said, "It's okay. I swear on a rare occasion or two, though I never drop **that** word." She then pulled out her deck. "I've decided to modify my deck for the tournament on September 19. At 7:30 PM, the duelists will gather in the Akihabara area, and 3 of the best Duel Monsters players in Japan, Kaiba Seto, Mutou Yugi, and Jonouchi Katsuya, will address the crowd alongside Pegasus J. Crawford, the creator of Duel Monsters. I think Jonouchi Katsuya is participating in the tournament himself, while Mutou Yugi, Kaiba Seto, and Pegasus J. Crawford will help judge it."

"They're really getting a lot of people," Masaya replied. "Do you know how many people are participating?"

"Not yet," replied Ichigo. "The last Qualifier Tournaments ended in Africa and South America today. Yesterday was for Asian, European, Australian, and North American Qualifier Tournaments. The Kaiba Corporation will release the number of participants from each continent tomorrow. Regardless of the numbers, the number of people going to the finals will be 128. You see, the second stage after the Qualifiers is a random stage. Players will wander the entire Tokyo Metropolis area and duel each other from 7:30 PM on September 19 to 7:30 PM September 21. After that, the top 128 players will be selected to move on. If you lose twice in this round, you are automatically removed from the tournament. All participants will get a program inserted via a secure computer network that links the Kaiba Corporation to all duel disks made and sold worldwide into their duel disk to count their wins and losses. It will not count any wins or losses against non-participants."

Masaya replied, "They have all that?! How much yen does Kaiba Seto make?"

"Billions every year," Ichigo replied. "It's crazy, I know."

"Wow, that's unbelievable. I wonder if Deep Blue is targeting the Kaiba Corporation too."

* * *

Kaiba Seto was watching TV at his house when Mokuba ran in, saying, "Big brother, I got a letter from an anonymous source! It's clean of any diseases like anthrax, but it's very threatening."

Kaiba said, "Threatening?" He then grabbed the letter.

_Kaiba Seto_

_I am participating in this tournament for one reason only: To gain control of your company. I will not tell you why, but I can tell you this: You won't live long._

_Just try and evict me. I am not putting my name on this letter. Also, I have entered the tournament under a false name. Already, I have hired insiders within both your company and Industrial Illusions to gain access to company secrets and the rarest cards available._

_I have also hired the Ghouls to do my dirty work and eliminate anyone who stands in my way through various methods._

_Good luck._

_The Bane of Humanity_

Kaiba said, "So, 'Bane of Humanity,' you want to take over the Kaiba Corporation? Well you'll have to get through me first. Mokuba, tell the other board members of this, but do not let anyone else know. I don't want word of this to leak out to the public just yet."

* * *

_Meanwhile in Egypt_

Malik Ishtar enjoyed life nowadays. No longer confined to the Pharaoh's Tomb, he became the best Duel Monsters player in the Middle East after winning a Regional Tournament the year before. He was selected to be a judge for Battle City 2, and had dueled 4 candidates for entry, of which only 1 won and moved on. For these duels, he went rather easy on the duelists.

He was walking to his car after a meeting with the other judges when a voice called to him in Japanese. "Oh Malik... Come over here..."

"Who is that?!" Malik turned around. "Who are you?!"

Suddenly, 2 hands grabbed him from behind and dragged him to a dark alley. The man's voice said, "Long time no see, weaker half..."

"You! You're the-!"

"That's right! I'm the resurrected spirit of the Millennium Rod, the living embodiment of your hatred."

"How did you-?!"

"Let's just say a friend helped me out of hell."

"What friend?! And what do you want?!"

"I want a friendly rematch, that's all. I'll bet my life and my best card, and you'll bet your life and your best card."

"That doesn't sound like a friendly match."

"It is to me." Dark Malik then formed a Duel Disk on his arm out of his own skin, sickening Malik. "Get ready."

"Oh I am, other me. I sure am..."


	11. The Dark Half's Return

_**MALIK: 4000**_

**_DARK MALIK: 4000_**

Dark Malik went first, summoning Vampiric Leech with 500 ATK. As per its effect, Dark Malik attacked on the first turn, causing Malik to wince in pain. "What is this?! How can I feel pain?!"

_**MALIK: 3500**_

_**DARK MALIK: 4000**_

"You see, other half," said Dark Malik. "I was given this little thing as a present from my ally, Deep Blue." He then revealed the Millennium Rod, shocking Malik.

"How?! But... But I saw all the Millennium Items get destroyed by my own eyes when the Pharaoh Atem's tomb collapsed!"

"Deep Blue was able to excavate the remains and, to his surprise, found all 7 of them intact, buried under many feet of rubble. The reason you feel pain is because this duel is now a Shadow Game!" As soon as he said that, the area surrounding the 2 of them became enveloped in a giant dark mist.

"Curse you!" Malik then went, summoning Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier with 1500 ATK. He then said, "Attack the Vampiric Leech!"

_**MALIK: 3500**_

_**DARK MALIK: 3000**_

"I'm not done yet," He continued. "Magic Card Activate! Nightmare's Steelcage! For the next 2 of your turns, neither of us can attack! Turn end!"

"Hehehe... You think that's a good idea, other half?" He then set 1 monster and activated Premature Burial to bring back Vampiric Leech, sacrificing 800 of his own life points to do so.

_**MALIK: 3500**_

_**DARK MALIK: 2200**_

On Malik's turn, he said, "I summon Wandering Mummy in attack position with 1500 attack! Now, Magic Card Activate! Infinite Cards! From now in, the hand limit of 6 no longer exists in this duel! I end!"

"Now it's my turn, other half. I'll set these 2 cards here, and then I'll summon Revival Jam with 1500 attack in attack position!"

Malik thought, _"Damn it! Revival Jam! If I destroy it, my dark half can just pay 1000 life points to bring it back!"_

"To end my turn, I'll play Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards. Good luck, other half." He then laughed like a mad man.

"Now that Nightmare's Steelcage has passed," Malik said. "I can now attack you! Go, Wandering Mummy! Attack Vampiric Leech!"

"Not so fast, other half." Dark Malik grinned widely. "Reverse Card Open! Nightmare Mirror! I'll negate the attack and deal you 1000 damage! Then, I'll discard 1 card!"

_**MALIK: 2500**_

_**DARK MALIK: 2200**_

"Even so," Malik replied. "I can still attack you with Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier and destroy Vampiric Leech!"

**_MALIK: 2500_**

**_DARK MALIK: 1200_**

"Reverse Card Open! Metal Reflect Slime! Now, my slime will become a monster with 3000 defense! That is all I need to destroy you..."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you'll see, other half, you'll see. On my turn, I activate Monster Reborn!"

Malik replied, "To bring back what?"

"Be prepared to be shocked, other half. I use Monster Reborn to bring back, from my graveyard, the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

**"What?! _NO!"_**Malik stared at Dark Malik in shock as the phoenix form of Ra formed, enveloping part of the playing field in a sheet of flame. "But... **_HOW?!"_**

"Yet again, you can thank Deep Blue for that. He managed to collect all 3 God Cards and he gave Ra to me. I have no clue who he gave Obelisk and Osiris to, however. Now, I'll tribute my 2 monsters to increase Ra's attack to 1500. I'll then pay 1199 life points to boost Ra's attack further, this time to 2699!"

_**MALIK: 2500**_

_**DARK MALIK: 0001**_

"Now, Ra, attack his Spear Soldier!"

**_MALIK: 1301_**

**_DARK MALIK: 0001_**

"Even though Ra returns to my graveyard afterwards, with Metal Reflect Slime on the field, you still won't be able to get past my defenses."

Malik was hit hard by the attack, having been burned by the phoenix. Even so, he got up and said, "I refuse to let myself lose to you! **I will not give in to your empty threats anymore!"**

"You're pretty tough," Dark Malik said. "But you still lack enough strength to beat the likes of me in a duel!"

"Oh really?" Malik then said, "Magic Card Activate! Lightning Vortex! I'll destroy your face-up monsters by discarding 1 card!"

"What?! No!"_  
_

"Now you're wide open, dark half! Prepare to be sent back to where you came from, the dark pits of hell!"

"Damn you, other half! Even if you win here, you'll never stop Deep Blue! He is everywhere! Everywhere!"

"Revival Jam, end this duel! _**ATTACK!"**_

_**MALIK: 1301 (WINS)**_

**_DARK_**_** MALIK: 0000 (LOSES)**_

Dark Malik fell to his knees and screamed into the air, **"Noooooo!"** He then began to fade away. Just before the last of his body disappeared, he said, "Give up while you can! You cannot win! You cannot!"  


Malik stared at the spot where Dark Malik had stood. In his place were a pile of cards from his deck. Malik then walked over and picked them up. After picking up the last card, he looked at it and saw that it was Ra. He said, "Yugi, I will return this card to you as soon as I can, but for my own protection, and for the protection of the world, I must use it for the time being, until this Deep Blue guy is defeated."


	12. Deep Blue's Plan -Seeker, Part 1-

It was the day of the tournament! All duelists participating were told to show up in the Akihabara district by 7:00 PM.

Ichigo had planned to meet her friends there at 7. She would be going with Masaya, whom had spent the day at her house after school. "Are you ready, Ichigo?"

"You bet I am," the energetic redhead replied. "I can't wait."

"Ichigo," said her mother. "It's time. Good luck!"

"Alright, mom." She then turned to Masaya. "Wish me luck." She then gave him a kiss. The 2 held hands as they went downstairs.

Shintaro, Ichigo's dad, said, "Now, guys, be careful. I shouldn't really have to say that, but, well, you know. Good luck, honey."

"Thank you, dad." She then hugged both of her parents. "You guys are the best."

* * *

After the 2 left, Shintaro and Sakura decided to go to their bedroom several minutes later for 'adult time.'

27 minutes after that, Shintaro was busy changing clothes when he heard a knock at the door. "Huh? I wasn't expecting visitors..."

"Hey honey, can you go get that? I'm going to the bathroom."

"Okay, Sakura." He then went downstairs and opened the door. "Hello there, visitor. How many I help you?"

There was a cloaked man standing in front of the door. "Is your name Momomiya Shintaro?"

"Yes..."

"Is Momomiya Sakura here?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Is Momomiya Ichigo here?"

"No, she left about half an hour ago. Why do you wanna know?"

The cloaked man then revealed himself. "I am Deep Blue, your worst nightmare." He then pulled out a knife. "Now, follow my demands, or else."

* * *

In Akihabara, at 7:30, the presentation began. Seto Kaiba would address the large crowd using several giant TV screens and loudspeakers.

"Fellow duelists," Kaiba began. "Welcome to the ultimate Duel Monsters tournament, Battle City 2! Before I speak, I would like to introduce the creator of Duel Monsters and the CEO of Industrial Illusions, Pegasus J. Crawford!"

"Hello, hello, hello," Pegasus said. "It is an honour to be addressing so many of you. And to think, this game started out as several sketches, a small printing press, and some computer chips. It has grown so much over the past 14 years since 1989. In those years, I learned many great things and met many great people, such as the people you see here beside me. Without the support of them, as well as my other friends and my team at I2, none of this would have been made possible. I look forward to seeing all of your performances in this tournament. Thank you."

Now it was Yugi's turn to speak. "Hello, fellow duelists. My name is Muto Yugi, the world champion of Duel Monsters and the last Battle City champion. I am glad to be beside some of the giants of this game, as well as one of my best friends, Jonouchi Katsuya. To think, I started much like all of you, just another kid who played the game. If I went back in time and told my past self I would be here today, they'd probably try to confine me to a mental hospital." The crowd laughed alongside Yugi. "For me, if I didn't have my grandpa, or my friends, I would have never even made it close to where I stand today. As they say for us duelists, it's time to duel!"

Finally, it was Jonouchi's turn. "Hello. I am Jonouchi Katsuya. Before I met Yugi, I was, to be truthful yet also fair, a delinquent. I got into a lot of fights and I was dealing with the consequences of my parents' divorce and my dad's drinking. After I befriended Yugi, I began to take control of my life. Eventually, I got into this game with Yugi. At first, I was horrible. But with Yugi's help, I managed to get to 4th place in the first Battle City Tournament. I also came in 3rd in the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. More importantly, I made friends who I still hang out with to this day. I even met my lovely fiancee, Kujaku Mai, in Duelist Kingdom. Without this game and my friends, I'd probably be dead. I am being completely honest when I say that. I owe these guys my life. Thank you."

"Thank you," said Kaiba. "Now, before we get started, let's go over the rules. All the players will wander around and duel each other in a giant battle royale. If you lose twice, you are automatically removed from the tournament. A player may choose to bet both chances in one duel. If this is the case, if that person loses, their opponent will receive 2 wins. The top 128 players with the most wins by September 21 will move on to the finals, which will be a traditional double-bracket tournament. Contestants will be randomly placed into brackets. Remember, the judges will be watching you, so no cheating. Also, many of our judges are also participating in this tournament, so cheating is an even worse idea than you think. Good luck."

* * *

Back on the ground, Zakuro said, "Alright guys. Let's agree to make sure all 5 of us in the group that are participating make it to the finals." Everyone nodded.

Ed said, "I can't wait! I'm like a kid in a candy store with all these duelists."

Joe replied, "We know, Ed. We know."

Then, Ichigo got a phone call from her house. "Hello?"

Deep Blue said on the other end of the line, "Ah, Ichigo..."

"Deep Blue?! What the hell?!"

"I'm at Cafe Mew Mew with your parents, Ichigo. Go over there if you wanna pick them up." He then hung up.

Mint said, "Deep Blue?! What's going on?!"

Ichigo frantically said, "Someone call Shirogane-san and Akasaka-san! Deep Blue's at the cafe!"

Pudding said, "I'm scared of Deep Blue, na no da."

"Don't be," said Zakuro as she comforted the young blonde. "If anything, he should be scared of us."

Lettuce said, "We should probably go to the cafe and see what's going on."

Masaya said, "Agreed. Everyone, let's go. First, you guys should all transform just in case something happens. As for me, I think I may be able to transform into the Blue Knight still. I have no clue."

As everyone transformed, Masaya tried concentrating on transforming. Finally, after a delay, the process began. A beam of light enveloped him as his hair changed and he gained a blue outfit, as well as a sword.

Ichigo said, "Well, looks like you can still transform. Anyway, let's roll!" The team ran through the crowd, to the amazement of many who had wondered what ever happened to the Tokyo Mew Mew team.

"Are those the Mew Mews?"

"I think so!"

"I hope whatever they're going to isn't too dangerous."

"Looks like Tokyo Mew Mew rides again."

* * *

The team arrived at the cafe at 8:05. Just as they ran to the doors, Ryou and Keiichiro drove up. Ryou jumped out of Keiichiro's car and said, "I got the keys. Hold on!" He ran up and unlocked the front doors. Ichigo pushed them and ran inside, screaming, "Mom! Dad!"

She then stopped dead in her tracks when she found her dad, badly beaten and bruised. She quietly walked forward and then fell to her knees, covering her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. "Huh...? Wait... Mew Ichigo? What are you..."

Deep Blue, standing in the entrance to the kitchen, said, "Hehehe. You're a little late."

Mint screamed, "You son of a bitch! What the hell did you do to Ichigo's parents?!"

"They refused to tell me where Ichigo was, so I beat them into submission. As for her mother, she's tied and gagged in the kitchen." He then walked over and showed Sakura tied to a chair with rope. He then removed the gag, allowing her to speak.

"Agh! Wait, Mew Ichigo?! What is Tokyo Mew Mew doing here?"

Ichigo got up and said, "Mom, dad, I have a confession to make. I'm surprised you either didn't figure this one out by yourselves or weren't told this by **that **bastard..." She pointed to Deep Blue when she said those last few words. "But... I am Mew Ichigo. Aoyama-kun knows this."

"I do," Masaya said. "As you may notice, I kinda look different, to say the least. To put it simply, I had become an unofficial member of the team shortly before that big battle Tokyo Mew Mew had because I possessed the power to transform into a being called the Blue Knight. I cannot count how many times I have saved your daughter's life in the face of danger."

Deep Blue replied, "Ha! Tough words coming from a vessel!"

"Shut up, Deep Blue," Masaya replied.

Ichigo continued, "I was afraid to tell you about this, but now I must to protect your lives."

Sakura said, "Ichigo, we're not angry or mad. Knowing that you've done so much to keep this city safe makes me proud to be your mother. Keep doing what you do best, Ichigo."

Shintaro said, "My own daughter... I can't believe my daughter has risked so much to keep this city safe. That means a lot to me." He then got up and hugged Ichigo. "I'm so proud of you, Ichigo. And you too, Masaya, for keeping my daughter safe so many times."

Ichigo cried again, saying, "Th-... Thank you so much for that, dad."

Deep Blue then said, "I'll leave these 2 to you guys. As for mr, I have a tournament to participate in." He then teleported somewhere else.

Berry, who had arrived in the middle of the confrontation with her boyfriend Tasuku, said, "It looks like we got our hands full. Even so, we will prevail."

Ichigo got up and said, "Enough of keeping secrets. I have another secret to tell all of you. For a few weeks, I have been getting blackouts in my memory. I had no explanation for these blackouts, until now. FRom now on, I won't be afraid... I won't be afraid of the other me anymore..."

Zakuro said, "Other Ichigo?"

Mint said, "What's going on?"

Then, Ichigo closed her eyes as she was surrounded by a glowing light as her shadow extended out in front of her. Within 5 seconds, the light dissipated, and the "other" Ichigo turned around. She said, in a deeper voice, "Everyone... We will win..."

Zakuro initially stared in surprise, but then simply nodded and smiled. Lettuce said to Ryou, "This is interesting. Did you know of this?"

"No," Ryou simply replied. "I did not. Akasaka-san, we need to look into this when we can."

Keiichiro nodded and said, "Agreed. For now, this other form may be our best bet at beating Deep Blue in this card game. To think, he'd resort to this. Why?"

* * *

After discussing a game plan, the team split up. They agreed to remain in their transformed states for the tournament just in case, and then revert to their civilian states when they got home.

Zakuro went with Mint and Keiichiro. She ended up splitting from them to go to the bathroom at a store, changing into her civilian state to do so. After she got out, she re-transformed and proceeded to walk back to another store where she would meet up with the other 2.

As she walked to the store in an alleyway, she was stopped by 3 men in purple cloaks with duel disks. One of them said, "I will challenge you to a duel, Fujiwara Zakuro." He then revealed his face and activated his duel disk.

"Fine by me," she replied. "And how do you know my real name?"

"I am Seeker, a member of the Ghouls, a society of duelists that obtain the rarest cards using any means necessary. We are led by Deep Blue, and have been instructed to hunt you down."

Zakuro thought, _"Oh shit! These guys work for him?! Alright... Just... Just, calm down, Zakuro, calm down..." _She then said, "Really? Well then, I hope you've prepared your internal organs for what I'm gonna do to you after you lose, you sick bastards."

"Bold words for a fashion model," he replied. "Bold words indeed."

Then, they both said, "Let's duel!"

_**ZAKURO: 4000**_

_**SEEKER: 4000**_

Seeker said, "I'll go first. I'll set this monster and activate Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards. I'll then end my turn."

Zakuro said, "Now it's my turn! Draw!" She then thought, _"Okay, I have 6 cards. I can currently summon all of the monsters in my hand, of which I have 4. Let's see here... Aha!" _"I summon Molten Zombie, with 1600 attack! I'll then destroy your set monster by attacking it!"

The set monster was an Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness. With only 600 DEF, it was easily destroyed. "Now it's my turn! Draw!" Seeker, once again, set a monster. "Magic Card activate! Graceful Charity! I'll draw 3 cards from my deck and discard 2 cards to the graveyard. I end my turn."

For the next 2 turns, Zakuro kept destroying every monster Seeker set as he activated more cards that allowed him to draw. Then, on the 3rd turn after Graceful Charity was activated, Zakuro said, "I'll sacrifice Molten Zombie to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch with 2400 attack! I'll then bring back Molten Zombie by activating Premature Burial from my hand! I'll also discard the 3rd card in your hand due to Thestalos' effect!" That card turned out to be a magic card.

**_ZAKURO: 3200_**

**_SEEKER: 4000_**

"Now," Zakuro continued. "Molten Zombie, attack his set monster, and Thestalos, attack his life points directly!"

_**ZAKURO: 3200**_

_**SEEKER: 1600**_

Seeker said, "That doesn't matter, because I will win, Zakuro."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Seeker."

Seeker then drew his card and exclaimed, "I win! I have all 5 cards!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Seeker then summoned all 5 pieces of Exodia onto his duel disk. "This is what I mean! I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!"

"Agh! What the hell?!"

"Hell Fires Rage, Exodo Flame!" Exodia then destroyed Molten Zombie and Thestalos. The force of the attack felt like a hard punch to the stomach to Zakuro, causing her to scream in pain and even bleed from her mouth.

_**ZAKURO: 0000 (LOSES)**_

_**SEEKER: 1600 (WINS)**_

"How... How can a card game cause real pain?! And how the hell do you have Exodia?!"

"This is how." Seeker then pulled out a blue capsule. "The Mew Aqua in this capsule allows us to access the Shadow Games and make all the pain in these duels 100% real. However, what you felt isn't even the start of what you're gonna feel. This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it'll hurt me." He then pulled out the cards that had sealed his victory. "You see, I possess 3 real and authentic sets of the 5 Exodia cards. With this, I can easily achieve victory..."

Zakuro got up and took off her duel disk. She then raised her fists and said, "You really wanna get your ass kicked, huh?"

The 3 men then charged at her. Zakuro dodged one and punched another in the back of the head. Then, suddenly, Zakuro felt a metallic thud on the back of her own head, and she fell to the ground, unconscious. Seeker stood over her with a crowbar and said, "We'll be taking your rarest cards now."

As a Ghoul looked through the deck, he said, "Woah! She has Infernal Flame Emperor!"

"No way! Take it along with that Thestalos then! Deep Blue needs all the powerful cards he can get."


	13. Tracking Him Down -Seeker, Part 2-

As the minutes ticked by, Mint and Keiichiro began to get anxious. "That's it," Keiichiro said. "Let's split up to find Zakuro. It's been 10 minutes. She would have been here by now."

"I was about to say the same thing," Mint replied. "Let's go."

After 3 minutes, Mint was about to give up when she passed by an alleyway and noticed a body laying in it. "Huh? What the hell is that?" She looked closer and then screamed. "Oneesama! Wake up!"

Zakuro then weakly opened her eyes, felt her head, touching her wolf ears, and said, "Ugh... What happened? Why did I transform?"

Mint said, "You look badly hurt, oneesama. What happened?"

"Oh damn! I forgot!" She then stood up. "I got attacked by the Ghouls. There was a guy named Seeker, and he had the Exodia cards."

"The _**what?! **_The Exodia cards?!"

"He beat me up after the duel... Wait! My deck!" She then fumbled through her deck of cards. "Oh fuck!"

"Oneesama, watch your language!"

"That bastard took Thestalos and the Infernal Flame Emperor!" She then punched a wall. "Damn it! I can't even defend myself from harm! How can I defend my friends from it either?!" She then paused. "I'm just a burden, if anything, in this battle."

"Don't say that, oneesama. You're great!"

"No, I'm not. If I can't even stack up against these guys in a fistfight, I'm powerless to stop them from doing worse to you guys. I was in way over my head, and I put all of your lives at risk." Tears began to fall from her face. "Tell Ichigo-san I'm sorry I let her down, kid."

Mint yelled, "Stop, God damn it!"

"I said tell her, Mint! Tell her I'm leaving the team and the tournament! I can't stop Deep Blue, but maybe you guys can without me."

Mint then growled, made a fist with her hand, and punched Zakuro in the chest, making her scream out in pain. "Mint, what was that?!"

"Oneesama, you mean the world to us! Without you, we'd be nowhere! I'd be nowhere! Get back on your feet and get going! We need the team to be together if we'll ever be able to defeat Deep Blue. Remember how we gave Ichigo-chan all of our power to defeat Deep Blue the first time? Yeah, just like then, we need to work together!"

"Mint... I'm... I'm sorry... I needed that punch..." She then hugged Zakuro. "Let's go find the others and get back at Seeker."

Mint blushed and said, "Okay then..."

* * *

The other Ichigo received a call from Zakuro. "Zakuro-san?"

"Ichigo, I need you to look for a guy named Seeker. He took my 2 rarest cards and he assaulted me. He's working for Deep Blue."

The other Ichigo said, "Okay, what does he look like?"

"He's wearing a purple cloak and he may be surrounded by 2 others. He also has white hair."

"Huh..." The other Ichigo noticed a man that fit the definition talking on a cellphone near here. "I think I found him. I'll take care of this, Zakuro-san."

"Thank you."

The other Ichigo then hung up. "Aoyama-kun, Lettuce-chan, Shirogane-san, standby in case things go bad." She then walked over to the man. "Is your name Seeker?"

The man turned around and said, "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm a friend of a girl named Zakuro. Have you met her before?"

The man thought, _"Crap! This must be that Ichigo girl Deep Blue told me about! But... Something about her feels off..." _"Uhhh... No?"

"Cut the crap, Seeker. I know it's you. Now, if you give me the 2 cards you took from Zakuro-chan back to me, I will let you go. If you don't, a duel awaits."

"Fine by me. I'll even bet both of my duels! How about you?"

"Same. This shall be a winner-takes-all duel then!" The other Ichigo then turned on her duel disk.

Then, they both exclaimed, "Let's duel!"

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**SEEKER: 4000**_

A spectator said, "Woah! Is that Mew Ichigo dueling?"

Another said, "Cool!"

Masaya then said, "Ichigo!" As she turned her head, he whispered, "What about your secret identity as a Mew Mew?"

The other Ichigo replied loud and clear, "I don't care. Aoyama-ku-... Why do I keep calling you that?"

"Because you always do?"

"Isn't your name Masaya?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, Masaya, we're facing a crisis on this planet. Secrets don't matter. What matters is saving Earth from destruction."

Masaya stood, stunned. Lettuce replied, "She is kinda right. Let's say if we don't succeed, God forbid. If that's the case, I don't wanna die keeping any secrets with me. I need to tell my parents about my identity soon." She then hugged Ryou. "After all, I have already revealed some secrets to a certain person."

Ryou then smiled and gave Lettuce a quick kiss. "That you have."

"Wait, you 2 are-?"

They then both said, "Yeah."

* * *

To begin the duel, the other Ichigo said, "I summon Gellenduo, with 1700 attack! Then, I'll activate Swords of Revealing Light to prevent you from attacking for 3 turns! Turn end!"

"Fine by me," replied Seeker. "I'll just set this monster and activate Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards set 1 card. I'll then end my turn by setting this card here."

_"What is this guy doing? You'd think he'd attack, but... What is this guy's plan?" _The other Ichigo said, "Okay then. To begin my turn, I'll summon Constellar Algiedi, with 1600 attack! I'll then special summon Constellar Aldebaran, with 1300 attack! Now, Gellenduo, attack his set monster!"

The set monster was Battle Footballer, with 2100 DEF. As a result, the other Ichigo took damage instead of Seeker.

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3500**_

_**SEEKER: 4000**_

"Hahaha! You underestimated me, Ichigo!"

"Shut your trap! When you attacked my friend, you messed with the wrong girl!" Her pendant then glowed. "This duel is now a Shadow Game!"

"A Shadow Game?!" Seeker's jaw dropped. _"She can use Shadow Games?! How?! It must be that pendant she has!"_

"The loser will face a Penalty Game, and if I win, you must give me the 2 cards you took from Zakuro back."

"Fine by me! I love high-stakes duels like this! It really gets my adrenaline running!" He then laughed. "Prepare to lose, Ichigo!" On his turn, Seeker activated Graceful Charity and set another monster.

"Is that it? Is that all you're gonna do?"

"Yeah, you gotta problem with that?"

"Not really, but I didn't expect a guy who talks so much about kicking my ass to rely on a deck like your's. Face it, I know what kind of deck you run."

"How?! How did you figure it out?"

"You were holding your most powerful cards while on your cellphone. I didn't say anything because I didn't wanna cause a scene."

"So then, tell me what my most powerful card is?"

"Not a card, _**cards. **_You utilise Exodia the Forbidden One!"

Gasps rang through the crowd as Seeker said, "Fine, you're right! I have three sets of Exodia, all complete and real, in my deck!"

"You think that's a good idea? What if you get a hand composed only of Exodia's limbs?"

Seeker looked down at his hand and gasped. _"Oh no! I have 6 cards in my hand, and all of them are limbs! I discarded a few extra limbs with Graceful Charity and to reduce my hand size, so now I don't know if I'll discard the wrong piece and lose!"_

"On my turn," the other Ichigo said. "I'll sacrifice Gellenduo for the White Knight Queen, with 2100 attack! I'll then equip her with Black Pendant to boost her attack to 2600. Now, destroy Battle Footballer! Algiedi and Aldebaran, attack his other monster and also attack him directly!"

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3500**_

_**SEEKER: 2700**_

Seeker thought, _"Here goes nothing!" _"I'll set this card and activate my own Swords of Revealing Light! Hahaha, try and get through that!"

"That expression on your face... You must have had a very bad hand earlier... I get it. You set an Exodia piece!"

"No I didn't!"

The other Ichigo pointed at him and exclaimed, "You lie! And to prove it, I'll destroy your Swords of Revealing Light with Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"No! No way!"

"White Knight Queen, destroy his set Exodia piece!"

As it turned out, the card set was indeed an Exodia piece, the Right Leg to be exact. "Stop! No!"

"Algiedi and Aldebaran, wipe out the rest of his life points!"

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3500 (WINS)**_

_**SEEKER: 0000 (LOSES)**_

The other Ichigo said, "Don't go anywhere, jackass. I'm not done with you yet." A mark then glowed on her forehead.

"What the-?! What are you gonna do?!"

The other Ichigo said, "You rely on a luck-based deck, right? Well, your luck just ran out." She then pointed at him with her right index finger and exclaimed, "Penalty Game! Darkness of Exodia!"

Seeker found himself surrounded by a dark purple mist as the world around him disappeared. Then, in front of him, a pentagram formed, revealing Exodia. "What... What is this?!"

Exodia then reached for him and picked him up. He then said in a deep and growling voice, "This is your end."

"No! Noooo! Noooooooo!" Seeker's head was then chomped by Exodia, who then ate the rest of his body.

Or, at least, as it seemed to him.

In the real world, Seeker was laying down on the ground, crying and screaming that Exodia was eating him alive. Then, he clenched his chest, screamed in pain, and went limp.

"That's the end of you," the other Ichigo said. "Next time you try to mess with my friends and family, remember that I can do that to you."

Suddenly, Seeker stood up, his eyes glowing a bright white. Then, Deep Blue's voice came out of his mouth, saying, "Ichigo, I see you have done well against my Ghouls so far."

The other Ichigo, Masaya, Ryou, and Lettuce then all exclaimed, "Deep Blue?!"

"Why yes, it is me. Remember, I have many, many more minions where this man came from, so watch out." Seeker's eyes returned to their normal colour, and then he collapsed to the ground.

The other Ichigo walked over to him and grabbed his deck. He looked through it and found Thestalos and the Infernal Flame Emperor. "Aha!" She then picked out the 15 Exodia cards Seeker had, looking to see if there were any discrepancies on the cards. "Well, these are real..."

Masaya ran over, "Ichigo! Are you okay?"

"I'm doing fine. Anyway, I got the 2 cards he took from Zakuro, and I'm gonna keep these Exodia cards with me. I won't use them for duels, however. These cards can do a lot of damage if they're in the wrong hands."


	14. Joe's Up! -Haga and Ryuzaki, Part 1-

As the duel between the other Ichigo and Seeker wrapped up, Pudding, Joe, Ed, Berry, and Tasuku were off in their own group. Joe and Ed were itching to duel someone. Joe said, "I'm really on edge, guys. I need to find a person to duel."

Ed then noticed a face in the crowd nearby and said, "Wait, is that guy over there 'Insector' Kaname Haga? The famous insect duelist?"

"Oh yeah," Joe said. "It is."

Pudding said, "Bugs are really scary, na no da!"

"Insects can be a very lethal deck type if you play them right," Joe said. "Let me see if I can duel him..." Joe then walked up to Haga and said, "Hello, Kaname Haga-san, I... I would like to duel you... I've seen you on T.V. before and you're really good."

Haga replied, "Duel me? Hmph. You're pretty young. How old are you?"

"I just turned 14," Joe replied. "But I am very good. My older brother Ed helped me become good."

"Well, I guess. If you say you're so good, why don't you bet your 2 duel points?"

"Okay, I will."

Ed said, "Joe, what are you doing?! Those are all the points you have!"

Haga then said, "I'll bet 2 out of my so far 5 points. Are you ready, kid?"

Joe said, "You bet I am, Haga."

_**HAGA: 4000**_

_**JOE: 4000**_

Joe, as the challenger, went first. He said, "I summon Alligator's Sword with 1500 attack! Then I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards. I will then end my turn."

Haga replied, "Alrighty. Now it's my turn. I summon Kamakiriman, with 1150 attack. Then, I'll activate Insect Armor with Laser Cannon to boost Kamakiriman's attack to 1850. Now, attack his Alligator's Sword!"

_**HAGA: 4000**_

_**JOE: 3650**_

Then, a girl noticed the duel in the crowd and said, "Hey, Joe! It's me, Ayame!"

Joe said, "Ayame?! From the preliminaries?"

Ayame then said from the crowd, "Joe, you're going up against the best Insect player in the game! Expect the unexpected!"

Haga then said, "Shut it! We have a duel going on."

Joe replied, "Hey! Don't speak to her like that."

Haga replied, "Forget it. Just go, kid."

Joe said, "Fine. Draw!" He then looked at his hand. "I summon Alexandrite Dragon, with 2000 attack!"

Ayame thought, _"Alexandrite Dragon?! That card's super rare!"_

Joe then continued, "Alexandrite, attack Kamakiriman!"

_**HAGA: 3850**_

_**JOE: 3650**_

Haga replied, "That was unexpected! I can't believe you have such a rare card, kid. No matter. I'll still crush you like a bug." He then summoned Pinch Hopper with 1000 ATK and ended.

Joe began his turn and said after setting a card, "I can't believe you'd summon such a weak monster like that in attack position right now. Attack!"

_**HAGA: 2850**_

_**JOE: 3650**_

"Now it's time for Pinch Hopper's effect," said Haga. "I will now special summon Insect Queen with 2200 attack!" He then began his turn.

Joe thought, _"Damn it! I forgot Pinch Hopper's effect!"_

Berry said to Tasuku, "Eww... Bugs really aren't my thing in real life or in games."

Tasuku replied, "Same. I'm praying that Joe ends this duel soon because those monsters are starting to crawl under my skin."

Haga then said, "I'll normal summon Petit Moth. Then, I'll sacrifice it to allow Insect Queen to attack your Alexandrite Dragon!"

_**HAGA: 2850**_

_**JOE: 3450**_

"This allows me to special summon an Insect Token to my field," Haga then continued. "Good luck, kid."

Joe thought, _"I need to draw something that'll get rid of that Insect Queen of his. Better yet, I could draw something that can wreck his entire strategy of using insect monsters." _He then drew Eradicating Aerosol. "Haga, I have drawn your demise! Magic Card Activate! Eradicating Aerosol! Say goodbye to your insects!"

Haga yelled, "Oh shit!"

"Now, I'll summon Axe Raider with 1700 attack. I'll then activate Bashing Shield and increase Axe Raider's attack to 2700!"

_**HAGA: 0150**_

_**JOE: 3450**_

Haga said as he began his turn, "I still have 150 life points left. I can still turn this around." He then drew his card. "Magic Card Activate! Double Summon!"

"Not so fast," Joe replied. "Reverse Card Open! Magic Jammer! I'll discard 1 card from my hand to my graveyard to negate your magic card!"

Haga thought, _"Oh no! Now I won't be able to get 2 monsters out at once!"_

Joe then began his turn. "It's over, Haga. Attack!"

_**HAGA: 0000 (LOSES)**_

_**JOE: 3450 (WINS)**_

Ed shouted, "Alright, bro! You did it!"

Berry and Pudding both said, "Wow!"

Joe said to Haga, "Good game?"

Haga looked at him and said, "Fine... Good game." They then shook hands.

"Good luck in the rest of the tournament, by the way." Joe then ran back to the group. "I won!"

Tasuku said, "I still have no clue how this game works, but good for you!" The gang all laughed in response.


	15. Ryuzaki -Haga and Ryuzaki, Part 2-

As the duel between Joe and Haga wound down, the other Ichigo and her group met up with Zakuro, Mint, and Keiichiro. Zakuro walked up to them and said, "Ichigo, did you get my cards back?"

"I certainly did," the other Ichigo replied. She then held them out. "Take them, Zakuro-san."

Zakuro smiled and slowly grabbed them before shuffling them back into her deck. She then bowed and shook the other Ichigo's hand. "Thank you so much."

"Think nothing of it, Zakuro-san," the other Ichigo replied.

Keiichiro then walked up to Lettuce and Ryou. "Hey there, lovebirds. How are thing's going?"

"Wonderful," Lettuce replied. "Shirogane-san and me are a perfect match."

Ryou laughed and said, "That we are."

Keiichiro then said, "Ryou, can I speak to you for a sec, alone?"

"Sure thing," Ryou replied. He gave Lettuce a kiss on the cheek before walking over to talk to Keiichiro. "What is it?"

"Well, it's about Lettuce, and the girls, and you." Keiichiro sighed. "When did you start to like Lettuce?"

"Well, after I initially said we were just friends after the whole sea chimera thing, I began reconsidering." Ryou then thought to himself, _"What does he mean by Lettuce-chan, the girls, and me?" _"The original final battle between Deep Blue and us certainly helped. By the time we both confessed, I definitely had a thing for her."

"Did you tell her about your whole 5-years-to-live thing?"

Ryou froze in fear. "Oh... That... Uhhh... No..."

Keiichiro grabbed Ryou shoulders and said, "You need to! Either fix the whole Alto thing or you will die when you're 21! Do you think Lettuce will want that? Do you think she'll be just fine when she sees you buried?"

Ryou said, "Calm down, Keiichiro!" He then sighed and let go of him. "I will tell them when I am ready to fix the DNA in my system. I'm close to fixing it. I just need until October to do so. I promise I will get it done by then, okay?"

Keiichiro patted Ryou on the back and said, "You better, or else."

Meanwhile, Zakuro and the other Ichigo scoured the crowd for potential duelists when the other Ichigo noticed someone. "See that guy with the hat on?" She then pointed him out to Zakuro. "I think that's 'Dinosaur' Ryuzaki."

Zakuro asked, "Ryuzaki? Who's that?"

"He's one of the most powerful Dinosaur-type users in the game. He's good friends of 'Insector' Haga, the famous Insect-type duelist."

"Insects? Oh God... My biggest fear... Well, I guess dinosaurs aren't as bad as bugs." Zakuro then walked over.

Mint asked, "Who's that she's walking over to?"

"'Dinosaur' Ryuzaki," the other Ichigo replied. "A great Dinosaur-type duelist. He's good, but Zakuro-san has the Infernal Flame Emperor and Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch in her deck."

After seeing the 2 of them converse for a while, they saw them get ready for a duel. Dark Ichigo said, "I'm gonna go looking for duelists with Masaya. I'll call you when I'm done." She then walked away.

_**RYUZAKI: 4000**_

_**ZAKURO: 4000**_

Ryuzaki said, "So, rookie, get ready to be stomped."

Zakuro smiled and replied, "We'll see about that. Draw!" She then looked at her hand. "I'll summon Molten Zombie with 1600 attack! I'll then set 1 card and end my turn!"

"A FIRE deck. Not bad. I'll summon Giant Rex with 2000 attack!" Ryuzaki smirked. "Attack her Molten Zombie!"

_**RYUZAKI: 4000**_

_**ZAKURO: 3600**_

"That's okay," Zakuro replied. "I still have my 2 trump cards. Now it's my turn." She drew her card and looked at her hand. "Reverse Card Open! Call of the Haunted! I'll bring back my Molten Zombie from the Graveyard! Its effect also allows me to draw 1 card when it is Special Summoned from the Graveyard!" She looked at the card she drew and smiled. "I'll sacrifice my Molten Zombie to bring out my first trump card! Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!"

Ryuzaki said, "Really..."

"I'll then set 1 card and activate Thestalos' effect. I'll discard 1 card from your hand, Ryuzaki, and that will be the 3rd card from your left!"

Ryuzaki looked at his hand and gasped. He thought, _"Ohhhhhhhh shit! That's my Tyrant Dragon!" _He then showed Zakuro the card and discarded it, worried about what would happen next.

"Since it was a Level 8 monster, I can now deal you 800 damage!"

_**RYUZAKI: 3200**_

_**ZAKURO: 3600**_

"Now, Thestalos, destroy his Giant Rex!"

_**RYUZAKI: 2800**_

_**ZAKURO: 3600**_

"Now it's my turn," Ryuzaki said. "I'll make you pay for that last move, Fujiwara Zakuro!"

"So you know who I am," Zakuro nonchalantly replied as she shrugged. "Big deal. Who cares? I got other things to worry about."

Mint, in the background, chuckled and said to herself, "Confident as always, Oneesama."

"Magic Card Activate! Ookazi! I'll deal 800 damage to you!"

_**RYUZAKI: 2800**_

_**ZAKURO: 2800**_

"Yeah, yeah, you made the playing field level," Zakuro replied. "Get on with it."

"I'll summon Balloon Lizard with 500 attack! While it may seem weak, it has a cool effect that allows me to put counters on it for each of my standby phases. When it's destroyed, you'll take damage equal to each counter times 400. To make sure you won't destroy it, I'll do this." He then got another card out of his hand. "Magic Card Activate! Change of Heart!"

Zakuro replied, "Reverse Card Open! Spell Shield Type-8!"

"What?!"

"I'll negate your Change of Heart and destroy it! Now you have nowhere left to run, Ryuzaki!"

Ryuzaki thought, _"Oh no! If she summons another monster, I'm screwed!"_

"Now it's my turn, and it's time for you to lose." Zakuro then drew her card. "I'll summon Solar Flare Dragon with 1500 attack to help finish you off! Now, Thestalos and Solar Flare Dragon, destroy his monster and reduce his life points to 0!"

_**RYUZAKI: 0000 (LOSES)**_

_**ZAKURO: 2800 (WINS)**_

Ryuzaki said to himself, "I lost... At least I only bet 1 duel on that..." He then walked over to Zakuro. "Hey rookie, you're not that bad after all."

Zakuro shook his hand and said, "Thank you. Good luck in the rest of the tournament."

* * *

Meanwhile, the other Ichigo had just won against a duelist in a rather friendly duel. They had also both bet 1 of their 2 duels. Afterwards, Masaya said to the other Ichigo, "That was awesome! You really had her going."

"I certainly did."

"You know, there isn't anyone here right now..."

"What do you mean?" The other Ichigo looked genuinely confused.

"Wanna kiss?" Masaya smiled.

The other Ichigo blushed. "Uhhhh... Well... Kiss?" She then suddenly transformed back into normal Ichigo, albeit still in her Mew Mew form. "Aoyama-kun?"

"Huh? Momomiya-san? What is it?"

"Uhhh... I don't exactly know..."

"Well, you began glowing and then you kinda... Changed? I was going to go in for a little kiss or something."

The teenaged girl blushed and said, "Well... Okay..." She then leaned in and kissed Masaya.

After the kiss, Masaya said, "Before you glowed, you seemed unfamiliar with the thought of kissing me."

"Unfamiliar? I don't remember much. Everything from after I revealed the other me is a blur."

"That's funny. Your voice was kinda deeper too, like Zakuro or your mother or something. Oh well, might as well not dwell about it too much. You got a tournament to win, after all."

"Oh, right!" Ichigo nodded. "Let's go find another duelist."

Suddenly, a voice said to them, "How about me?" Then, a man emerged from the darkness. "They call me the Player Killer of Darkness." He appeared to be zombie-like, missing an eye and possessing pale skin. "Deep Blue-sama resurrected me from the pits of Hell and told me to specifically eliminate you, Momomiya Ichigo."

Ichigo stared in horror. Masaya said, "If you wanna hurt her, you'll have to get through me!" Masaya then transformed into the Blue Knight again before charging at the Player Killer with a sword and striking him.

The Player Killer simply smiled and said, "Mere blades and bullets cannot kill me, for I am already dead." He then pushed Masaya and picked him up with a chokehold. "This is between me and the cat girl. Stay out of this." He then threw him to the side like a ragdoll.

Ichigo screamed, "Aoyama-kun!"

Masaya weakly said, "Kick his ass."

Ichigo angrily said, "I'm more than just a teenager, Player Killer. I'm a Mew Mew, and I'm a duelist!" Ichigo's pendant glowed again as she transformed into the other Ichigo.

The Player Killer showed no emotion either way, simply saying, "Oh really?"

The other Ichigo said as she turned her duel disk on, "I'm ready for any challenge!"


	16. Cut Through The Darkness

The Player Killer led the other Ichigo and a weakened Masaya, still in his Blue Knight form, to a warehouse. When he turned on the lights, a duel arena was in the centre. "You will not need your duel disk for this one, little girl."

The other Ichigo replied, "Save the petty and sexist insults for later." She then stepped onto the platform of the blue side of the arena. As she was lifted to the top, a noose suddenly came down from the ceiling of the warehouse. The other Ichigo was startled, saying, "Woah! What the hell is this?!"

"A noose," the Player Killer replied. "Look down and you'll notice your platform is also a trapdoor. You must tie the noose around your neck to play. If your life points drop to zero, you will be hanged, and your tiny little neck will be shattered by a 10 foot drop."

"That won't be necessary, because this duel is now a Shadow Game." Suddenly, darkness enveloped the arena. "If my life points dip below 2000, I will start to cough up blood, so you'll be hanging a corpse if you do win."

"It doesn't matter." The 2 duelists then set their decks down. The other Ichigo turned her duel disk off.

_**PLAYER KILLER: 4000**_

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 4000**_

The other Ichigo went first. "I'll summon Constellar Sombre with 1550 attack! Then, I'll activate Fire Formation-Tenki. This card allows me to add 1 Level 4 or lower Beast-Warrior-Type monster to my hand from my deck. Additionally, all Beast-Warrior-Types I control will gain 100 attack." She then searched through her deck and picked a card. "I'll add Constellar Kaus to my hand. Turn End!"

"Now it's my turn," the Player Killer said. "I'll summon the Castle of Dark Illusions. Its effect increases the attack and defence of all Zombie-types I control by 200 plus another 200 for every one of my standby phases up to 4 while this card is on the field. Then, I'll set 1 card and end my turn."

"I guess I'll just have to get rid of the problem before it gets out of hand then. I'll summon Constellar Kaus to the field with 1800 plus 100 attack! Now, Sombre, destroy his pathetic castle!"

"Reverse Card Open! Negate Attack! I'll just end your battle phase instead!"

The other Ichigo scowled in annoyance. "Damn..."

Masaya said to himself, "This duel is crazy. I can't believe she actually agreed to this."

"I'll summon Dragon Zombie with 1600 attack. Due to my castle's effect, its attack will go up to 1800. I'll then activate my Field Magic Card, Yami, which boosts the castle's attack to 1120 and my Dragon Zombie's attack to 2000. It also reduces Sombre's attack to 1450."

"Oh no!" The other Ichigo thought to herself, _"Now he can destroy both of my monsters in two turns!"_

"Destroy Sombre, Dragon Zombie!"

_**PLAYER KILLER: 4000**_

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3450**_

"Crap," the other Ichigo said to herself. "Let's see what I can draw this turn..." She then smiled. "I'll sacrifice Kaus to summon Constellar Virgo, with an original attack of 2300. Even with 2100 attack, he can still destroy your Castle of Dark Illusions! Attack!"

_**PLAYER KILLER: 3020**_

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3450**_

"Now it's your turn, Player Killer."

_"This is not good... She has a very strong monster on the field... My strongest monster has an original attack strength of only 2000. But if I can boost its attack with Magic Cards, I can easily go beyond 2300." _The Player Killer then drew his card. "I'll sacrifice Dragon Zombie to summon the King of Yamimakai with 2000 attack, which is boosted to 2400 due to Yami."

"King of Yamimakai? That's a really old card!"

"Attack her Constellar Kaus!"

_**PLAYER KILLER: 3020**_

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3350**_

"What can you do now, Momomiya Ichigo?"

"I'll show you," she defiantly replied. "Magic Card Activate! Monster Reborn! I'll special summon Gellenduo fro my graveyard to my field. It's a good thing I had to discard it because my hand was getting too big earlier, by the way. But I'm not done there!"

The Player Killer laughed and said, "Gellenduo has only 1600 attack!"

"I know. That's why I'm not gonna use it to attack. I'll instead use it to summon the White Night Dragon!"

The Player Killer then panicked. "The White Night Dragon?! How did you-?!"

"Attack the King of Yamimakai!"

_**PLAYER KILLER: 2420**_

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3350**_

"You have one last turn, Player Killer. Make good use of it." She then set a card and ended her turn.

"Hmmm..." The Player Killer stared at his hand before reaching a conclusion. "I got it! I know how I can win!"

"So you do?"

"You bet I do. Magic Card Activate! Megamorph! I'll equip it to your White Night Dragon so I can cut its attack to 1500!"

"Reverse Card Open!" The other Ichigo revealed her face down card. "Solemn Judgement! I'll pay half of my life points to negate Megamorph and destroy it!"

_**PLAYER KILLER: 2420**_

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 1675**_

"No! I had you cornered!" The Player Killer seethed in anger.

"Now I have you cornered," the other Ichigo replied. "I'll summon Constellar Algiedi with 1600 attack. This should be enough to kill your monster and wipe out your life points, Player Killer. Attack and end this duel!"

_**PLAYER KILLER: 0000 (LOSES)**_

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 1675 (WINS)**_

The other Ichigo then undid the noose around her neck. The Player Killer said, "That was impossible! How did you get your hands on such a powerful card?!"

"I won it in the preliminaries." As she said that, her mark glowed on her forehead, but this time, instead of glowing yellow, it glowed in a variety of rainbow colours, indicating the impending penalty game would be directly fatal. Her pupils also disappeared and her eyes glowed bright white. "Now, I must send you back to where you came from, and soon, your master Deep Blue will join you."

"Woah, what the-...?"

The other Ichigo then stuck her right palm out and shouted, _**"MIND CRUSH!"**_

The loud sound of shattering glass spread throughout the warehouse as the Player Killer screamed and fell from the red tower of the duel arena. The shadows surrounding them then dissipated, and Masaya woke up.

"He has been taken care of," the other Ichigo calmly said. She then offered her hand to Masaya to help him up.

As he got up, he said, "That was weird. Ichigo, this is getting dangerous."

"I know. Even so, if we don't do anything, who will? We need to eliminate as many of Deep Blue's allies as possible. It would be foolish to confront him now." She then walked away. "Come, Masaya. We need to meet up with the others to discuss tomorrow's game plan."

Masaya thought to himself, _"It's as if a whole different Ichigo was in control... Who exactly is the 'other Ichigo?' She doesn't seem malevolent, but she seems to be more calculated and unforgiving."_


	17. Malik in Tokyo

Malik Ishtar had been having a rather uneventful day so far. He had participated in 2 duels, and he had 1 win and 1 loss so far. They both ended rather quickly, and neither time was he able to bring out Ra. As he walked along a city street, he thought to himself, _"I wonder if I'll run into anyone I know..."_

Then, he bumped into someone. The man he bumped into said, "Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Malik then looked at the man. "Wait, Jonouchi?"

Jonouchi, who was walking with Mai, said, "Malik? It's you!" He then shook his hand. "Man, I haven't seen you in ages. How's Egypt?"

"Hot and dry as usual." The 2 of them then laughed.

Mai said, "Hello there, Malik. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Kujaku Mai. Well, soon, I'll be Jonouchi Mai."

"Oh yeah! You were in the first Battle City! Wait, you and Jonouchi are...?"

Jonouchi replied, "We'll be married in November."

"Congratulations to both of you." Malik smiled. "So, how's the tournament?"

"We're both doing pretty well. I won 3 times, and Mai won twice."

"Good. I won once and lost once." Malik's demeanour then changed. "By the way, has Yugi told you anything about the Egyptian God Cards recently?"

"Uhhhhh, no..." Jonouchi was confused. _"Weren't they buried when the pharaoh's tomb collapsed?"_

Malik then pulled out Ra from his deck. "It's a long story."

Mai said, "How did you-? How?!"

"Someone named Deep Blue apparently possesses the power to bring back people and spirits from the dead. He brought back my old evil side and he brought with him Ra and the Millennium Rod. He said this Deep Blue man also gave Osiris and Obelisk away, though my evil side was never told who owns them now. It could be anyone in this tournament." He then showed the group the Millennium Rod. "I won a duel against my old evil side. I have this for safekeeping. Once Deep Blue is defeated, I will return this and Ra to Yugi to do... Well, whatever, I guess."

Jonouchi said, "Then that means the other Millennium Items are scattered about, including the puzzle!"

Malik replied, "I have no clue what the puzzle or the ring will do. I don't know if they even have spirits in them anymore, so they could just be useless pieces of gold for now. Who knows what Deep Blue will do with them."

Mai said, "I'll call the others. Should we tell Kaiba?"

"Of course," Jonouchi replied. "He may be... Difficult to work with, but this is his tournament. I'll see if we can tell Pegasus and Bakura-kun too. I know Bakura-kun's in the tournament."

* * *

Bakura Ryou was walking near a restaurant, exhausted after a day of dueling, when he heard his cellphone ring. "Hello?"

"Bakura," Jonouchi said. "It's Jonouchi."

"Oh! Hello, Jonouchi-kun! How are you?"

"Doing pretty well. Listen, you're not gonna believe what I'm about to say, Bakura-kun, but the Millennium Ring is back."

Bakura's blood ran cold and he froze in fear. "What? What do you mean it's back?!"

"A man named Deep Blue has somehow recovered them and the Egyptian God Cards. Malik Ishtar was able to win back the Millennium Rod and the Winged Dragon of Ra. The other items are still out there."

"But... Then that means... The spirit of the Millennium Ring could be out there! I highly doubt he would be too happy about being disturbed. If I see anything, I will call you as soon as I can, Jonouchi-kun." Bakura then hung up.

Then, he saw a shrouded man approach him with a duel disk. The man said, "Are you Bakura Ryou?"

"Yes... Why?"

The man then revealed himself as a Ghoul. "I believe this belonged to you." He then held the Millennium Ring in his fist. "If you want it back, duel me."

Bakura replied, "Fine then! Better if it's in my hands than yours!"

* * *

After getting the call from Yugi, who had gotten a call from Jonouchi about the issue of Deep Blue, Seto Kaiba sat down in his office chair, overlooking Tokyo. Mokuba said to him, "That Deep Blue guy is in our tournament. nii-sama?"

"Unfortunately," Kaiba replied. "I think I know who was behind that break-in at the Duel Academy now. He must have broken in to take the Sacred Beasts. How did he manage to get so much support, though?" Then, he noticed a new email on his computer. "Huh? Who is this? DB2002 ?" He then opened the email and found a video attachment. He clicked play.

Deep Blue appeared in the video. He said, "Hello there, Kaiba Seto. My name is Deep Blue. As you may know by now, I am participating in Battle City 2. I am also responsible for several actions against mankind. I might as well explain my motives to you."

Kaiba gritted his teeth and said, "You bastard..."

Deep Blue then continued. "You see, I come from a species known as the Cyniclons. We used to live on Earth until we were forced out because Earth suffered a bunch of natural disasters. We eventually lived on a desolate and almost inhospitable planet. Fast forward to 3000 years ago. Back then, I led a band of thieves and rebels that sought to return to Earth by force. Unfortunately, the Nameless Empress stopped us dead in her tracks, and I was banished to limbo. There I remained until I contacted several members of my species in the Earth year of 1989. At the same time, I inhabited secretly the body of a newborn boy named Aoyama Masaya. My new followers back on our planet sought to exterminate humanity to repopulate Earth with us. However, I sought greater. I sought to establish an empire with me as the leader."

Mokuba said, "He sounds crazy."

"In early 2003, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the following people." The images of the Mew Mews, Ryou, Keiichiro, and Masaya then flashed on the screen with their names. "Ichigo, Mint, and Zakuro are in your tournament right now. Ichigo and Masaya banished me to Hell. But, a cyniclon named Doctor Mitnas brought me back in August, just about 3 months after my first defeat. Since then, the Mew Mews have gained 2 new team members and several new allies. Also, my kind has turned on me. Therefore, I must gather resources to build an army. And what better way than to take control of 2 huge corporations and beat their CEOs at their own game? Plus, the Sacred Beasts are actually representations of Cyniclon Gods."

Kaiba said, "What?!"

"Uria was our Fire God, Raviel was our Darkness God, and Hamon was our Lightning God. Armityle was their combination. Now that I have them in my possession, I am unstoppable. I have an army of Ghouls and mercenaries waiting to strike, Kaiba. Enjoy your last days on Earth alive."

Then, Kaiba and Mokuba both heard the cocking of guns behind the office door. Kaiba said, "Mokuba, get behind the desk."

Suddenly, 2 armed guards burst into the room, aiming their guns at Kaiba. One of them said, "Don't move! Kaiba, we're placing you in our custody!"

"This time I'm ready," Kaiba said before he drew his own gun and shot both guards, killing them both. Mokuba winced as the shots were fired.

Mokuba said, "They're dead!" He then felt his forehead and shook his head.

"We need to continue the tournament. The only way to win against Deep Blue is to eliminate all of his allies and then face him in the finals. Tomorrow, I will call up Yugi and Jonouchi and we'll go hunting for these Ghouls. We'll also need to find those Mew Mews Deep Blue talked about. They will be a big help."


	18. The Second Day

It was September 20, the second day of the tournament. Because of school, the team did not get out and participate until later in the day at around 5:30. Even so, Zakuro scouted the city and dueled on some rare occasions after completing her private studies before then.

At 3, Zakuro, Ryou, and Keiichiro were discussing the plan of action for the day when they heard a knock at the door. Ryou said, "I'll get it."

When he opened the door, Kaiba and Yugi greeted him. Kaiba said, "Is your name Shirogane Ryou?"

"Yes it is," he replied. "Say, your faces seem familiar..."

Zakuro then said, "Wait a minute, you 2 are..."

"I'm Muto Yugi," Yugi said. "And he's Kaiba Seto. We need to talk with you. Is the rest of your team here?"

"No," Ryou replied. "They're at school. They'll be here at 5:30. Come on in and have a seat."

Kaiba sat down at a table next to Yugi and Keiichiro, a duel disk attached to one arm and carrying a briefcase in his left hand. "I assume you guys are plotting out how your day will go for the tournament?"

"Indeed we are," Keiichiro replied.

"We need to show you something," Kaiba replied. He then opened his briefcase and pulled his laptop out. "I got this very unsettling email from a guy named Deep Blue, and he implicated all of you as his targets alongside me."

Zakuro, Ryou, and Keiichiro's jaws all dropped. Zakuro said, "No way..."

After Kaiba showed the video to the group, Ryou said, shaking his head, "He's really thought this through this time. It's a damn shame we didn't stop him the first time around."

Yugi then said, "Also, we noticed that one of the girls in your group has special powers."

"We all kinda do," Zakuro replied.

"I'm talking about the redhead. Ichigo is her name I think."

Zakuro asked, "Ichigo-san? Oh yeah! For some reason, her pendant allows her to transform into an entirely different person. This "other" Ichigo is a bit taller, looks older, and has a deeper voice, slightly higher than mine, though. She can do this regardless if she is in her Mew Mew form or civilian form. Neither Ryou and Keiichiro can explain it. It all began when her pendant began to do weird stuff like glow and turn hot."

"I noticed something too at the qualifiers," Kaiba replied. "I personally watched her duel with Yamamoto Jurou. She used the word "Shadow Games," a word I haven't heard since 1998. She also used a thing called "Mind Crush." What makes this odd is that Yugi here also had an "other" self that used to do the same thing, but he stopped long before 1998."

"Oh, you mean those penalty game things, right? Wait, Yugi has an "other" self too?"

"The other me was the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh named Atem," Yugi replied. "He passed on to the afterlife in 1998. He was trapped inside the Millennium Puzzle, that weird pendant I wore when I first started dueling in the 90s. We think Ichigo's "other" self may be connected. Deep Blue recently excavated Atem's collapsed tomb and retrieved the Millennium Items as well as the Egyptian God cards. We can confirm that 2 spirits have come back, 1 in support for Deep Blue that wasn't an Ancient spirit, and another that was that came back to hunt Deep Blue down for disturbing his sleep. We currently have 2 Items in our possession: The Ring and the Rod."

"This is too weird," Ryou said. "I personally made all of my team's pendants with the exception of one member located on an island who keeps in touch with us. Ichigo's pendant should be no different from anyone else's. I theorise that her spirit may be an Ancient Spirit from the Cyniclons, since Deep Blue mentioned a "Nameless Empress" and that his species used to live on Earth before we evolved into Homo sapiens. Maybe the Cyniclons are connected to Ancient Egypt."

"Tell me about it," Kaiba said. "Anyways, I've looked up Deep Blue's record in the tournament, and he has no losses and 5 victories. He will definitely make it to the finals. The top player currently has 7 victories and no losses, so Deep Blue is high up there. Anyways, I have a plan."

Keiichiro said, "What is it?"

"We will coordinate our efforts to stop Deep Blue and his allies. We'll meet here and we will use our cellphones to call each other. On my side I have me, Yugi, and Pegasus as non-participating players and Jonouchi Katsuya, Bakura Ryou, Malik Ishtar, Isis Ishtar, Rishid Ishtar, and my brother, Kaiba Mokuba, as participating players. They will all keep a sharp eye out for Ghouls and other suspicious duelists."

Zakuro said, "In our team, me, Ichigo, and Aizawa Mint are participating. We also have 2 friends of Ichigo and her boyfriend Aoyama Masaya participating as well."

"So that makes 5... Anyways, we'll wait here until the rest of your team shows up."

* * *

At 6, the team rolled out. They split up into the following:

1\. Ichigo and Masaya

2\. Zakuro and Keiichiro

3\. Mint, Lettuce, Ryou, and Pudding

4\. Ed, Joe, Berry and Tasuku

They would all maintain radio communication throughout the night. Additionally, they could call Kaiba or Yugi for backup if needed.

Ichigo and Masaya were discussing the meeting with Yugi and Kaiba. "So the other Ichigo may be some sort of spirit?"

"Yes," Ichigo replied. "Aoyama-kun, I think she may be that nameless empress Deep Blue refered to when talking to Kaiba."

"I would not be surprised," Masaya replied. "I wonder if she has any memories?"

The other Ichigo, which only Ichigo could see and hear standing next to her, shook her head and said, "Nope. The last thing I can remember is when I woke up in that pendant."

"She said no," Ichigo said. "The last thing she remembers is waking up in my pendant."

"You can talk to her?"

"Yes. Only I can see her and hear her when she's not using my body." She then transformed into the other Ichigo. "Like now. Right now, only I can see the Ichigo you're familiar with, Masaya."

"Huh... You refer to me as Masaya when you're the other Ichigo... That's odd."

"I'm unfamiliar with honorifics, so I just stick to first names unless they're better known by their last names, like Kaiba." She then noticed a Ghoul dueling a younger kid nearby. "Oh no."

"Haha," the Ghoul said. "Looks like I've won. Now, give me that Destiny HERO Defender of your's."

The boy, with a sad look on his face, gave the card to the Ghoul. "It was my brother's."

"Hey! Give that card back to him!" The other Ichigo then stepped up to him.

"Wait a minute! You're that girl I'm supposed to be hunting down! Perfect!" He then drew a dagger. "I'll take your life instead of your cards when I'm finished with you."

"This is no ordinary duel," the other Ichigo said. "The loser of this duel will face a penalty game." She then turned to the kid. "Hey kid, I'll get that Destiny HERO back for you."

The kid smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"What the hell is a penalty game?"

"Your worst nightmare." The other Ichigo then readied her duel disk.

The Ghoul thought to himself, _"My worst nightmare? What does that mean? What's up with her?"_


	19. Action Replay -Return, Part 1-

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**GHOUL: 4000**_

"I'll make the first move," the other Ichigo said. "I'll summon Constellar Pollux with 1700 attack! Due to its effect, I'll also summon Constellar Algiedi with 1600 attack. Due to that card's effect, I'll summon Constellar Acubens with 800 attack. Due to Acubens' effect, all Constellar monsters I control gain 500 attack points!"

Masaya said, "Wow! She got a good hand!"

The Ghoul said, "You were just lucky, kid. Now it's my turn. I'll summon Dark Valkyria with 1800 attack. Next turn, I'll be able to Gemini Summon it and activate its effect."

"Gemini Summon? What's that?"

"Gemini Monsters are Effect Monsters that are treated as Normal Monsters until they are Gemini Summoned on the field again. I'll then equip Valkyria with Mage Power, boosting its attack by 500 for every Magic and Trap card on the field. Now, attack Acubens!"

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3000**_

_**GHOUL: 4000**_

_"Crap. There goes my attack boost." _The other Ichigo then sighed. "Looks like you actually put up a fight." She then drew her card. "I'll set one card. Then, I'll sacrifice my 2 monsters to summon the White Night Queen with 2100 attack. Then, I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon to take care of your Mage Power."

The Ghoul said, "Of course." He knew that the first thing she'd target would be Mage Power.

"Now, attack his Dark Valkyria!"

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3000**_

_**GHOUL: 3700**_

The Ghoul simply said, "Just as planned. Now it's my turn." He then looked at his hand and picked a card. "Magic Card Activate! Monster Reborn! I'll bring back Dark Valkyria to the field. Then, I'll sacrifice it to summon Summoned Skull with 2500 attack!"

The other Ichigo was surprised at this. Summoned Skull was not a common card, although it wasn't too rare either. "Well that was unexpected."

"Attack her White Night Queen!"

"Reverse Card Open! Magic Cylinder! The attack is negated and you take 2500 points of damage!"

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3000**_

_**GHOUL: 1200**_

Now the Ghoul was beginning to panic. He was very low on life points and he feared that the other Ichigo would summon a monster stronger than Summoned Skull next turn.

* * *

In another part of the city, Jurou walked the streets, wondering where Ichigo was. _"Ever since I was defeated by her twice, I have begun to hold some respect for her capabilities. Still, I must be the one to defeat her in this tournament. I will duel her in this round, and then face off again against her in the finals. _By now, Jurou had won 3 duels and had lost none. He had heard rumours about the Ghouls, but had no knowledge of how vast they were or who Deep Blue was.

Unbeknownst to him, Deep Blue had been spying on him during the tournament after hearing of his loss to Ichigo. In his command centre, Deep Blue looked at hacked security cameras all across the city on various computer screens. By now, his record was 4 wins and no losses. "I have everything all set up for today's events." He then got out a journal and opened it to a page with the phone numbers of various collaborators. He called one of them on his phone.

A voice said on the other end, "Hello?"

"It's Deep Blue. Get ready for Plan 12. Are your men ready to capture Yano Ayame?"

"Got it. The bartender I paid off served her a spiked soda last night. She'll wake up soon. Don't worry, we didn't damage her. Now what about that Jurou guy?"

"I got that all taken care of."

Back in the city, Jurou felt that he was being followed. He turned around and saw nobody behind him. Then, he heard a voice call out, "Jurou..."

Jurou looked around and said, "Who the hell was that?"

Then, he saw a figure step out in front of him. "My name is Isono. Allow me to hunt you down."

"Isono, huh? I think I've seen you before. Aren't you one of Kaiba's bodyguards?"

"I'm done with that egotistical freak. I work for Deep Blue now. I will get my revenge against Kaiba soon. For now, my job is to eliminate you."

"Deep Blue? Who the hell is that?" Jurou then got his duel disk ready.

"My boss, and the one who will take over this world." Isono also got his duel disk ready. "Now, let's duel."

"Let's."

* * *

Back at the duel with the other Ichigo and the Ghoul, the other Ichigo was beginning her turn. "Magic Card Activate! Premature Burial!"

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 2200**_

_**GHOUL: 1200**_

"I'll bring back my Constellar Acubens to the field. Then, I'll sacrifice both of them to summon the White Night Dragon!"

"No way!" The Ghoul thought, _"She won THAT card in the tournament?! That's as powerful as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"_

"Attack Summoned Skull!"

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 2200**_

_**GHOUL: 0700  
**_

The Ghoul, scared for his life and realising he was defeated, set a defense position monster and said, "Please have mercy on me..."

"Not a chance," the other Ichigo replied. "I'll summon Gellenduo. Now, Gellenduo, attack his defense position monster!"

As the monster was destroyed, the Ghoul shook with fear at not only what the other Ichigo would do to him, but also at what Deep Blue would do to him.

"Now, attack him directly, White Night Dragon!"

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 2200 (WINS)**_

_**GHOUL: 0000 (LOSES)**_

The mark on her forehead glowed gold as she said, "And now for your punishment." She pointed at him and shouted, "Penalty Game! Total Recall!"

All of a sudden, time stopped for the Ghoul, who then saw his vision turn black as all the memories he had buried in his mind played out, including his deepest and darkest memories. He screamed, "Stop! No more! Please! This is torture!" He then let out a shrill, high-pitched scream of searing pain before he hung his head low.

After a half-minute, he held his head up again. This time, his eyes glowed, indicating Deep Blue had control of him. "Hello, Momomiya Ichigo."

Masaya and the other Ichigo said together, "Deep Blue!"

"I have kidnapped the judge Yano Ayame, and one of my henchmen is dueling Yamamoto Jurou as we speak."

"Jurou? How did you find him?"

"I have my ways. I suggest you find him before he loses, Ichigo. Be prepared."


	20. Discovery -Return, Part 2-

Mint and Zakuro high-fived after they both defeated a duelist. Their teams had congregated not too far from the dockyards of the city. Ryou said to them, "Good job, you guys. Now, where are you and Keiichiro going?"

"Me and him are gonna stay around here," Zakuro replied. "We heard rumours that Ghouls are based around here."

"Alrighty then. Me, Mint, Lettuce, and Pudding will go look for the others. See ya later."

Pudding excitedly said, "You two are really good, na no da!"

Mint smiled and replied, "Thank you, Pudding-chan. Oneesama, I'll see you later."

Zakuro nodded. She then turned to Keiichiro. "I notice something about Mint."

"What's that?" Keiichiro was a bit confused.

"Whenever she's around me, I get a bit of a vibe from her, like she is attracted to me or something."

Keiichiro nodded and said, "Are you suggesting Mint likes you? I've never really known her to like other girls, or, well, anyone for that matter. She never really expressed romantic interest that much. And I can't say anything about sexual interest because that can be a whole different matter."

"You're not revealing much because you just don't wanna come off as a creep," Zakuro replied. "I mean, you are like 22. Be honest. It's not like you are a creep."

"Okay. Well, Mint seems to be romantically and presumably sexually attracted to you, and as far as I've known her, only you."

Zakuro stood there for about 15 seconds. Then, she said, "Me? Why me? I... I'm not into other girls... This... This will be hard to break to her..." She then sighed. "Well, it will have to wait. We have a world to save."

Then, Keiichiro was hit on the head by a metal pipe, knocking him out unconscious. Zakuro turned around and got out her Whip and hit the assailant with it in the face. She then kneed him in the stomach and punched him in the nose as well, knocking the first assailant out.

Suddenly, she heard a metallic thud, and she blacked out too. A second and third assailants stood over her. They then picked up Zakuro and Keiichiro's feet and dragged them to a building nearby.

When they woke up, they were tied to 2 chairs. Next to them was Ayame Yano, one of the judges of the tournament, also tied up in a chair. Zakuro struggled and said, "Where the hell are we?!"

Ayame said, "The Ghouls kidnapped us. They spiked a drink I had the night before and brought me here." A pause. "And no, they did not violate me, thank God. They want us 'undamaged,' according to the Ghouls' leader."

"Deep Blue," Keiichiro said. "Deep Blue did this."

Then, a man stepped in. "My name is Fuguta. I was a bodyguard of Kaiba Seto before I left him to work for Master Deep Blue. I will now introduce you to him." He then held his hand out to introduce the alien himself.

"Well well well," Deep Blue said as he walked in. "What do we have here? Fujiwara Zakuro, Akasaka Keiichiro, and Yano Ayame."

Zakuro looked at him in contempt and said, "What do you want, you sick fu-" Suddenly, Zakuro was zapped by a stun gun held by a Ghoul. "AGH! THAT HURT!"

"Speak out of turn again and you'll get zapped. Now, let's begin..."

* * *

Back at Jurou's encounter with Isono, the duel was just starting.

_**JUROU: 4000**_

_**ISONO: 4000**_

"I'll summon Shadowknight Archfiend with 2000 attack! Then, I'll activate Dian Keto The Cure Master to boost my life points to 5000!"

_**JUROU: 5000**_

_**ISONO: 4000**_

"Finally, I'll set a card and end my turn. You're go, Isono."

"Perfect," Isono replied. "Master Deep Blue has access to the factories that produce cards. That's how I was able to get this. I'll activate White Dragon Ritual and send 1 monster from my hand to my graveyard to summon the Paladin Of White Dragon with 1900 attack!"

Jurou said, "No way, you got a Blue-Eyes deck?"

"Yes I did! Now I'll sacrifice Paladin to special summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck! I'll set a card and end my turn. Good luck."

Jurou stood, staring at the Blue-Eyes in fear. _"I never thought I'd go against a Blue-Eyes!" _Due to Shadowknight's effect, Jurou lost 900 life points.

_**JUROU: 4100**_

_**ISONO: 4000**_

"I'll activate Graceful Charity to draw 3 cards and discard 2 cards. Then, I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back one of the discarded cards, which was Archfiend Emperor, The First Lord Of Horror, with 3000 attack!" As the monster formed on the field, Jurou smiled. "I got this card from Kaiba himself just before the Qualifiers, but I never got a chance to use it until now."

Isono thought, _"Crap! I remember this card! I hope he doesn't activate its effect!"_

"I'll banish my Lesser Fiend from my hand to destroy your Blue-Eyes. Now, attack him directly!"

_**JUROU: 4100**_

_**ISONO: 1000**_

"Shadowknight, finish him off!"

"Not so fast," Isono replied. "Reverse Card Open! Sakuretsu Armor! I'll destroy your Shadowknight to negate the attack!"

"Time to activate Shadowknight's effect." Jurou then got out a die and rolled it. The die landed on 2. "Crap, I missed!"

Isono said, "Ha! Your Shadowknight is gone! Now it's my turn!" He then drew his card. "I'll activate Poison of the Old Man and select its second effect to deal you 1000 damage!"

_**JUROU: 3100**_

_**ISONO: 1000**_

"Then I'll set 1 monster card and end my turn." Isono thought, _"When he attacks my set monster with Shadowknight, he'll take damage instead."_

**_JUROU: 2200_**

**_ISONO: 1000_**

Jurou said, "I'll skip summoning and attack your set card with Shadowknight!"

The set monster was Man-Eater Bug, shocking Jurou. Isono said, "I'll destroy that Archfiend Emperor of your's. Say goodbye."

"Damn it!"

"How does it feel to lose, Jurou?"

"I know that feeling, Isono. I have lost duels before. I'm proud to say that, in fact. It shows that I am not perfect. However, I refuse to dwell on my losses. Instead, I rebuild, and I win the next time." He then paused. "Reverse Card Open! Magical Stone Excavation! I'll discard 2 cards to bring Monster Reborn back to my hand. I'll then activate it to bring back one of your monsters!"

Isono said, "One of mine?" He then reluctantly walked over to see Jurou.

Jurou reached into Isono's graveyard in his duel disk and looked at it. He then selected his monster. "Thank you."

Isono scowled at him in response.

"I'll bring back the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the field!"

Isono said, "What?! That card?!"

"Destroy him, Blue-Eyes!"

_**JUROU: 2200 (WINS)**_

_**ISONO: 0000 (LOSES)**_

Isono said, "Oh no! I lost!" He then felt his chest area and began to feel pain. He ripped his duel disk off and threw it to the side.

"Hey," Jurou said. "Are you okay?"

Isono screamed in immense pain, clawing at his chest. Suddenly, he exploded, sending bits and pieces of him everywhere and coating Jurou in blood.

Jurou screamed, "Holy shit! No way!" He ran over and looked around, seeing him scattered everywhere. He then walked over to Isono's duel disk and grabbed his cards and deck.

Suddenly, Isono's head rolled over to him and said in Deep Blue's voice, "You beat my servant!"

"AAAAH! WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Be warned! This is only the beginning!"


	21. Deep Blue Strikes!

Jonouchi, Bakura, Yugi, Anzu, and Honda had just celebrated a tag team win by Jonouchi and Bakura against 2 other duelists. As they walked through the city, Yugi asked Bakura, "Say, the Ring hasn't been giving you any trouble, right?"

"No," Bakura replied. "I'm pretty surprised." Then, he noticed Zakuro, Keiichiro and Ayame being led through the streets by 4 Ghouls. "Hey guys, wait up! I think I just saw that Zakuro girl with 2 of her friends being led by, of all people, Ghouls, on the other side of the street."

Yugi said, "Why by Ghouls?" He then called over to them. "Fujiwara-san! Akasaka-san! Yano-san!"

The Ghouls all looked at them. One Ghoul said, "Piss off!"

Another Ghoul slapped him in annoyance and said, "That's Muto Yugi! Get him!"

Honda raised his fists and said, "Oh yeah? We'll take you losers down easily!" The 4 Ghouls charged at the group, resulting in Honda punching out one of them.

Jonouchi said, "I haven't fought in a while. Let's see if my skills are still good." After dodging 2 fists from Ghouls, he uppercut a second one before kneeing him in the gut, knocking him out. As the Ghoul fell to the ground, he said, "I still got it."

The other 2 Ghouls fled with their mind-controlled hostages. Yugi shouted, "Where are they taking them?"

Jonouchi said, "Honda, Yugi, follow me and get them! Bakura, Anzu, call Momomiya-san and her friends and tell them about this!"

Anzu said, "Alright!" She then dialed Ichigo's cellphone number.

* * *

As the other Ichigo and Masaya looked for Jurou, Masaya said, "What do you think Deep Blue is planning?"

"No idea," the other Ichigo replied. "But whatever it is, it can't be good." She then heard her cellphone ring. "Hello?"

Anzu said, "Momomiya-san, we just saw 4 Ghouls carrying away Fujiwara-san, Akasaka-san, and Yano-san."

The other Ichigo paused and thought, _"Oh no..." _

Masaya then saw Jurou walking near them and waved to him. "Jurou! Over here!"

Jurou noticed Masaya and walked over, saying, "Aoyama-kun? You'll never guess what happened."

Anzu said on the phone, "Yugi, Jonouchi, and Honda are all following the Ghouls. They're going to the dockyards based on what direction they were walking in."

The other Ichigo worryingly said, "I'll be right over! We need to get them before Deep Blue does!" She then hung up and saw Jurou, surprising her.

Jurou said, "Long time no see, Momomiya Ichigo. Anyways, any animosity between us can wait. I think the Ghouls are after us."

"We need to get to the dockyards," the worried girl replied. "Now."

* * *

Within 10 minutes, all of Tokyo Mew Mew and Yugi's friends had arrived at the dockyards from across the city. As the other Ichigo looked at the scene and found Zakuro standing on a pier, she shouted, "Zakuro! Zakuro!"

Then, a helicopter marked "KC" landed close to the area. Stepping off of it was Seto Kaiba and Mokuba Kaiba, having rushed to the scene after Yugi called them. The elder Kaiba said to the group, "This duel will not count as part of the tournament. I have already made sure of it. Even so, one of us will have to face her."

Zakuro, mind-controlled by Deep Blue, said, "Of course." She then pointed at the other Ichigo. "I want Momomiya Ichigo to face my puppet." She then pointed at Keiichiro. "If you don't, Akasaka Keiichiro will die."

Everyone looked at Keiichiro and gasped. Pudding said, "Akasaka-oniisan!"

Keiichiro stood over a crane holding an empty metal container, his feet bound to the ground. A Rare Hunter was inside the crane operating booth. He opened the window and shouted down, "That's right! If you lose, this guy will die, and so will that girl, not to mention you."

Yugi gave the Ghoul a dirty look and said to himself, "That bastard..."

Ayame walked over to the other Ichigo, also mind-controlled, and said, "Come this way, Ichigo." Around her neck was a necklace with a vial. In the vial was poison. "Remember, if you lose, I will force this puppet to ingest poison from my necklace vial."

The other Ichigo nodded and walked past her. Joe ran up to Ayame, noticing her. "Ayame! Ayame!"

"I'm not Yano Ayame. I am a puppet."

Joe looked at her and said, "Ayame, break free of Deep Blue's grasp!"

The other Ichigo turned around and said, "Let me handle that. Don't put yourself in harm's way for no reason, Joe." She then looked at Zakuro. "There will be a loser in this duel. It won't be me,and it won't be Zakuro-san. It's you, Deep Blue. You will lose."

Deep Blue said through Zakuro, "We'll see about that, Momomiya Ichigo." She then turned on her duel disk.

The other Ichigo nodded and turned her duel disk on as well. She thought, _"Zakuro-san, please, break free. I don't want to hurt you."_

Zakuro said, "Momomiya Ichigo, make this duel a shadow game, or else I'll have Ayame ingest the poison."

The other Ichigo's eyes widened as she said, "What?!"

Ayame then grabbed the vial and held it to her mouth, ready to strike. Joe said, "Ayame, no!"

Jonouchi yelled, "Deep Blue, you're a no good son of a bitch!"

Jurou watched the scene unfolding in front of him with curiosity. _"So this is that guy my previous opponent mentioned. He seems to be a sadist, not to mention power-hungry. Ichigo, do not lose to this pathetic lowlife. I must be the only one allowed to defeat you."_

The other Ichigo said, "Fine... I didn't want to do this, though... This duel is now a shadow game!" Suddenly, a dark purple haze enveloped the two of them, much to the other Ichigo's surprise.

Ayame said as Deep Blue, "I thought you were more cunning than that. I can also use the power of the shadow games, Ichigo. All I needed was your consent and some of your powers."

"Damn it..."

Zakuro drew her cards and said, "I'll go first." She drew her beginning card and said, "I'll summon Solar Flare Dragon with 1500 attack! Obviously, you can easily summon a monster with higher attack than that, Ichigo, so I have a solution." She then picked another card from her hand. "Magic Card Activate! Molten Destruction! This Field Magic Card increases all FIRE monsters' attack by 500 and decreases their defense by 400. Solar Flare Dragon now has 2000 attack!" She then set a card. "I'll set one card and end my turn. Due to Solar Flare Dragon's effect, you take 500 damage."

_**ZAKURO: 4000**_

_**OTHER ICHIGO: 3500**_

"My turn," the other Ichigo declared. "Draw!" She then summoned a monster. "I summon Constellar Algiedi to the field with 1600 attack! Due to its effect, I'll also Special Summon Constellar Acubens. Due to Acubens' effect, all Constellar monsters I control gain 500 attack points. This gives Algiedi more than enough to destroy Solar Flare Dragon! Attack!"

_**ZAKURO: 3900**_

**_OTHER ICHIGO: 3500_**

"Reverse Card Open! Backfire! Whenever a FIRE monster I control is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, you take 500 damage!" Zakuro then laughed.

**_ZAKURO: 3900_**

**_OTHER ICHIGO: 3000_**

A ball of fire suddenly appeared in the sky and fell upon the other Ichigo. As flames surrounded and burned her, she screamed in intense pain and suffering. When the flames around her died down, she ripped her duel disk off and rolled around on the ground to put out any fire on her body.

When she got up, she noticed that the ends of her dress had been burned off, and her legs had bad burns on them. She said to herself, "No way... That was real fire..." She quickly grabbed her duel disk and cards off the ground before putting it back on and putting the cards back in the right spots.

Yugi, watching from the outside, said, "I think Ichigo-san was actually burned!"

Kaiba replied, "Impossible! The shadow games never got that intense with fire."

Pudding held onto Mint as she said, "Ichigo-oneechan..."

Mint said to herself, "Oneesama... Hang in there... Don't give in to Deep Blue..."


End file.
